Department of Health and Social Care

Learning Disability

Caroline Nokes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to Appendix 1 of the guidance by NHS England entitled Improving identification of people with a learning disability: guidance for general practice, published on 11 October 2019, what recent estimate she has made of the number of people that have a learning disability; and how many and what proportion of those people are (a) on the learning disability register and (b) not on the register despite having conditions that would automatically entitle them to be on the register.

Maria Caulfield: There are approximately 1.3 million people in England with a learning disability, according to Mencap figures. NHS England data shows that, as of March 2023, there were 347,840 people of all ages with a learning disability on the learning disability register in England. However, this learning disability register is voluntary, and not everyone chooses to register.It is a statutory requirement under the Equality Act 2010 that public sector agencies make reasonable adjustments to their practice that will make them as accessible and effective as they would be for people without disabilities. NHS England has published guidance aimed at improving the identification of people with a learning disability, which is available at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/improving-identification-of-people-with-a-learning-disability-guidance-for-general-practice.pdfGeneral practices should review this guidance and update their registers at least annually, to ensure that they are accurate.

Autism: Females

Caroline Nokes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many women with autism were in mental health inpatient care settings in each of the last five years.

Maria Caulfield: The following table shows the number of female patients with either autism or autism and a learning disability in mental health care inpatient settings in England, in each of the last five years:YearAutismLearning disability and autismTotalMarch 2020270115390March 2021325110430March 2022375110485March 2023430115545February 202439590490Source: the data is taken from NHS England’s Assuring Transformation dataset, as of 28 February 2024.Notes:The figures for the historical months in this table show the most recent data cut, calculated using submissions as of the end of February 2024.The February 2024 counts are expected to rise in subsequent months as some patients are added late to the data set, due to the diagnosis of autism or a learning disability after admission to hospital.

Autism and Learning Disability

Caroline Nokes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to The national strategy for autistic children, young people and adults: 2021 to 2026, published in July 2021, how many additional children have received diagnoses of autism and related support as a result of the expansion of the school-based identification programme.

Maria Caulfield: Through the Opportunity Area scheme, in 2021/22 the Department of Health and Social Care and the Department for Education invested £600,000 into a pilot in Bradford through the Born in Bradford programme, which looked to improve early identification of autism and other neurodiverse conditions. This was subsequently adopted by four other Opportunity Areas as Early Identification of Autism Projects.Information on how many additional children have received diagnoses of autism, and related support as a result of the programme, is not centrally held. The University of Manchester was commissioned to evaluate the Early Identification of Autism Projects, and their report will be published in due course.

Autism and Learning Disability: Training

Caroline Nokes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people have completed part two of the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism programme.

Maria Caulfield: The Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism is delivered in two tiers of training. Tier 1 is for those that require general awareness for their role, and Tier 2 is for those who may provide care for people with a learning disability or autism. Both tiers consist of two parts, and the first part of both tiers is an e-learning package, which over 1.7 million people have completed.The second part of the Tier 1 training is an hour long online interactive session co-delivered by a person with a learning disability or an autistic person. The latest NHS England figures from December 2023 show that 12,741 people have completed the second part of the Tier 1 training.The second part of the Tier 2 training is a full day, in-person training session co-delivered by a person with a learning disability or an autistic person. The latest NHS England figures from December 2023 show that 9,012 people have completed the second part of the Tier 2 training.The numbers of staff having completed these training programmes is maintained by the NHS England regions, and reported to NHS England on a quarterly basis. These numbers are reported by integrated care boards, and are predominantly National Health Service staff.

Surgery: Finance

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much elective recovery funding each integrated care board received less penalties for missed targets (a) in absolute terms and (b) as a proportion of the elective recovery funding initially allocated to the board, in financial year 2022/23.

Andrew Stephenson: Each integrated care board (ICB) received their full elective recovery fund (ERF) allocation in 2022/23 and no penalties were applied for missing elective activity targets.The initial ERF allocations for each ICB are available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/allocation-of-resources-2022-23/

Health Services: Standards

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she plans to publish the results of the review by McKinsey and Co into NHS productivity.

Andrew Stephenson: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Mental Health Services: Children

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many child mental health patients have been held in inappropriate out of area placements since March 2021.

Maria Caulfield: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Mental Health Services

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many adult mental health patients have been held in inappropriate out of area placements since March 2021.

Maria Caulfield: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Neurodiversity: Women

Ellie Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has had discussions with paediatricians on trends in the number of women diagnosed with (a) autism and (b) ADHD.

Maria Caulfield: My Rt hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has regular discussions on a wide range of matters with a wide range of people, including clinical staff. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) guidelines for autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) recognise that autism and ADHD may be under-diagnosed in women and girls. The NICE’s guideline on autism diagnosis for under 19-year-olds and the NICE’s guideline on ADHD, both set out that clinicians should pay attention to the under-diagnosis of girls, when assessing for suspected autism and ADHD. We expect integrated care boards (ICBs) and health professionals to have due regard to these guidelines. In April 2023, NHS England published all age autism guidance, which aims to improve outcomes and the quality of autism assessment pathways for everyone. This guidance is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/autism-diagnosis-and-operational-guidance/ With respect to autism, data shows that we are now seeing an increase in referrals for female diagnoses, suggesting that there is an increased awareness of the presentation of autism in women and girls. In England, as of December 2023, of the 172,022 patients with an open suspected autism referral, 52% were male and 47% were female. The number of female patients with an open referral for suspected autism is increasing more than for male patients, with the proportion of female patients having increased steadily from 36% in June 2020. There is, at present, no single, established dataset that can be used to monitor waiting times for assessments and diagnosis of ADHD nationally. Although data is not held centrally, it may be held locally by individual National Health Service trusts or ICBs. NHS England is establishing a new ADHD taskforce alongside the Government, to improve care for people living with the condition. Alongside the work of the taskforce, NHS England has also announced that it will continue to work with stakeholders to develop a national ADHD data improvement plan.

Mental Health Services: Warwickshire

Matt Western: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of average waiting times for young people to access mental health services in Warwickshire.

Maria Caulfield: Whilst the Department has made no such assessment, we know that some children and young people are waiting longer than we would like to get help with their mental health, which is why we have been increasing access to services. Over the year to December 2023, over 750,000 children and young people aged under 18 years old were supported through National Health Service-funded mental health services, representing a 31% increase since March 2021.NHS England is working to improve the quality of data on access and waiting times for children and their families and carers waiting to receive community-based mental health care. NHS England began publishing this new data in 2023 to improve transparency and drive local accountability.

Dental Services

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many dental practices offered NHS services in each constituency in each year since 2015.

Andrea Leadsom: Annual dental statistics, including the number of dental practices offering National Health Services since 2015, are available at the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/nhs-dental-statistics#past-publicationsThis information is held by the integrated care boards.

Spectacles: Finance

Alistair Strathern: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of providing subsidies to patients with severe eye prescription glasses.

Andrea Leadsom: National Health Service optical vouchers to help with the cost of glasses or contact lenses are available for eligible groups, including children and people on income-related benefits, and through the NHS low-income scheme. There are ten optical vouchers ranging from £42.40 to £233.56, depending on the strength of the optical lenses. Help is also available through the NHS complex lens voucher, for any individuals prescribed complex lenses, provided they meet the clinical criteria. The cost of glasses will be set by individual optical practices, and because prices can vary, we would always advise that individuals shop around.

Dental Services: Standards

Dr Thérèse Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will introduce a system of redress for NHS dentists that fulfil less than (a) 80%, (b) 50% and (c) 10% of their performance target.

Andrea Leadsom: National Health Service dental contract holders are awarded funding at the start of each financial year, based on the contracted number of Units of Dental Activity (UDA). Contractors are required to deliver at least 96% of their contracted activity on an annual basis. Where this does not occur, the NHS reclaims the difference between the monies paid to contractors and the value of work which has been delivered. NHS England will encourage commissioners and contractors to work together to resolve underperformance against the contract at the mid-year review point, or by voluntarily rebasing their contract in the first instance. Where this is not possible, and where there have been three consecutive years of persistent underperformance, commissioners will be able to rebase contracts to the highest level of UDAs delivered over the three-year period from the following year, and recommission unused activity to other providers.

Diabetes: Health Services

Sir George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment her Department has made of the potential implications for its policies of the cost-benefit analysis of the T1DE pilot schemes carried out by NHS England.

Sir George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she (a) has made and (b) plans to make an assessment of the potential merits of funding options to ensure the sustainability of T1DE services beyond the pilot phase.

Andrew Stephenson: Evaluation by the National Health Service of the initial Type 1 Diabetes with Disordered Eating service (T1DE) pilot sites, in London and Wessex, demonstrated a mean reduction in HbA1c of between 2.3% to 2.5%. Assuming that this level of reduction is maintained, the lifetime quality-adjusted life year gain of these services was estimated at 1.49, which would be cost effective up to a net lifetime cost of £29,800-£44,800.In response to these initial evaluation findings, NHS England expanded the T1DE programme, supporting provision of new services in an additional five sites from September 2022, expanding coverage to more areas of the country. It is expected that these services will generate further evaluation data to consolidate these early findings, which can be used to inform national and local policy decisions.NHS England is drawing on learning from existing T1DE services, other emerging evidence and the findings of the recent parliamentary inquiry, to ensure all areas of the country are supported to improve care for those identified as having T1DE. The emergence of these future plans are subject to future spending review settlements for the NHS and level of funding from the NHS England budget allocated to T1DE.NHS England are also working closely with the first wave of pilot sites including London to ensure that the newer services can benefit from their learning and experience when considering local funding options in advance of March 2025, when the national funding for the five new sites will come to an end. NHS England is assisting integrated care boards to develop local funding arrangements through the provision of evaluation data, a national programme of support workshops, and an online platform to share learning and good practice.

Cerebral Palsy: Children

Dean Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help support children with cerebral palsy.

Dean Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help support adults with cerebral palsy.

Andrew Stephenson: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has published a range of guidance on care and support for children and young people and adults with cerebral palsy, to support healthcare professionals and commissioners. The guidance recommends service providers develop clear pathways that allow patients with cerebral palsy access to multi-disciplinary teams, specialist neurology services and regular reviews of their clinical and functional needs.NHS England’s Getting It Right First Time Programme aims to improve care for people with neurological conditions, including those with cerebral palsy, by reducing variation and delivering care more equitably across the country.The majority of services for people with cerebral palsy are commissioned locally by integrated care boards, which are best placed to make decisions according to local need. Nevertheless, at a national level, the Government is working closely with NHS England to continue to improve services for people with neurological conditions, including those with cerebral palsy.The NHS Long-term Workforce Plan (LTWP) aims to grow the number and proportion of National Health Service staff working in mental health, primary and community care. The LTWP, published in 2023, sets out an ambition to grow these roles 73% by 2036/37, including plans to increase the community workforce specifically by 3.9% each year. By growing the community workforce, we will be better able to support people to participate in daily living, including those with cerebral palsy.As set out in the LTWP, NHS England’s ambition is that, by 2028, no child or young person will be lost in the gaps between any children’s and adult services, and that their experience of moving between services is safe, well planned and prepared for so they feel supported and empowered to make decisions about their health and social care needs. The Department is working closely with NHS England to support this work, and the Children and Young People’s Transformation Programme has developed a national framework for transition which includes the key principles of a 0-25 model of care, including for young people with cerebral palsy.

Disability Aids

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data her Department holds on how many useable mobility aids and equipment are wasted in the NHS each year.

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information her Department holds on where the NHS disposes of (a) crutches, (b) wheelchairs and (c) other mobility equipment.

Andrew Stephenson: As set out in the Delivering a Net Zero National Health Service report, published in October 2020, the NHS is committed to reducing its environmental impact, including by increasing the reuse and recycling of medical equipment. This commitment is then applied locally, taking into account local priorities, through local Green Plans.NHS England also collaborates with the NHS Supply Chain to increase availability of reusable products, and supports local NHS organisations through the publication of guidance and resources to help with implementing changes.Furthermore, the Department published the inaugural Medical Technology Strategy in February 2023, which included a focus on improving resource efficiency. The Department’s Design for Life Programme works with industry, the health and care sector, and academic partners to develop medical technology systems that support reuse, remanufacture, and material recovery becoming the default. The Department recognises we will need to define future data requirements and align digital infrastructure to improve the gathering of core data, such as how products are eventually disposed. The Department’s intention is to publish a roadmap later this year, to articulate our relevant findings and plans moving forward.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Health Services

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to ensure hospitals follow the NICE guidelines on Myalgic encephalomyelitis or chronic fatigue syndrome.

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to ensure hospitals develop treatment pathways for Myalgic encephalomyelitis or chronic fatigue syndrome patients at risk of starvation.

Andrew Stephenson: It is the duty of clinicians to keep themselves appraised of best practice, in particular guidance issued by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). The Department is working with NHS England to develop an e-learning course on myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), also known as chronic fatigue syndrome, for healthcare professionals, with the aim of supporting staff in providing better care and improving patient outcomes. This has involved feedback and input from the ME Research Collaborative Patient Advisory Group. The Medical Schools Council will promote the NHS England e-learning package on ME to all United Kingdom medical schools, and encourage medical schools to provide undergraduates with direct patient experience of ME. The NICE’s guidance NG206 states that people with ME should undertake a dietetic assessment by a dietitian with a special interest in ME, if they are losing weight and at risk of malnutrition.

Hospitals: Parking

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of the number of parking spaces designated for disabled people at NHS hospitals.

Andrew Stephenson: Disabled blue badge holders are entitled to free hospital car parking in line with the Government’s commitment to provide free hospital car parking for those with the greatest need. Disabled patients and visitors receive free parking for the duration of their attendance at, or visit to, the hospital. Disabled employees receive free parking while at the hospital, for purposes relating to their employment.National Health Service organisations decide locally on the provision and type of car parking spaces, in line with the policy set out by the Department, which is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nhs-patient-visitor-and-staff-car-parking-principles/nhs-patient-visitor-and-staff-car-parking-principles

Health Services: Consultants

Sir George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of NHS consultants carried out work in the private sector in the most recent financial year for which data is available.

Andrew Stephenson: The Department does not hold the information requested.

Pregnancy: Screening

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 28 April 2021 to Question 185893 on Pregnancy: Screening, on what date the evaluative rollout of non-invasive prenatal testing is expected to be completed.

Andrew Stephenson: A non-invasive pre-natal test (NIPT) was introduced as an evaluative rollout in England on 1 July 2021, as part of the NHS Fetal Anomaly Screening Programme. The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) is being kept informed annually on the progress of this rollout.NHS England has extended the evaluative rollout of the NIPT to March 2026, so that pregnancy outcomes can be included in the final report. The report is expected to go to the UK NSC at the end of 2026.

Antibiotics

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department has had discussions with stakeholders on antibiotic line flushing.

Maria Caulfield: Officials from the Department have not had any recent discussions with stakeholders on antibiotic line flushing. Good clinical practice is to flush an intravenous line with saline after a medicine has been administered, to ensure the full dose is delivered to the patient. This is not unique to antibiotics.

Antibiotics

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether officials in her Department have had recent discussions with the Care Quality Commission on antibiotic underdosing.

Maria Caulfield: Officials from the Department have not had any recent discussions with the Care Quality Commission on antibiotic underdosing. General guidance on prescribing and the use of medicines is published online by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, and is available at the following link:https://bnf.nice.org.uk/

NHS: Pay

Derek Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason NHS employees in band 4 are only eligible for pay progression after three years, rather than two years as in other bands.

Andrew Stephenson: As part of the 2018 deal, all pay bands underwent a significant amount of structural reform. The reform included reducing the length of time it takes to reach the top of most pay bands, improving pay progression, and removing all overlap between pay bands. As such, the time taken to progress to the top of Band 4 has been reduced from six years to three years. The time taken to progress varies by band. This is to reflect the time needed to develop the knowledge and skills to perform at the top of the relevant band.

Patients: Safety

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many never events occurred within NHS England in each year since 2019; and how many and what proportion of these incidents involved Physician Associates in each year.

Maria Caulfield: Information on Never Events is published by NHS England, and all available data on Never Events is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/patient-safety/never-events-data/NHS England does not collect specific data relating to Physician Associate involvement in Never Events, and as such the information is not held.

Health Protection (Notification) Regulations 2010

Caroline Nokes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what weighting her department is giving to (a) individual and (b) organisational stakeholder responses to the Health Protection (Notification) Regulations 2010 consultation.

Maria Caulfield: The consultation on the Health Protection (Notification) Regulations 2010 closed in November 2023. As reflected in the published summary of responses, each response was treated equally during analysis, as is the standard approach for consultation response analysis. The Department and the UK Health Security Agency are considering the responses in total, and are grateful for the stakeholders’ engagement on this complex topic. Confirmation of any changes to the regulations will be published in due course.

Health

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has made an estimate of changes in numbers of people reporting (a) physical and (b) mental health issues in the week following clock changes in March for British Summer Time in the last three years.

Maria Caulfield: The Department has not made an estimate of the number of people, or changes to the number of people, reporting physical or mental health issues following the clock changes.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Drugs

Sarah Dyke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to tackle shortages of (a) methylphenidate and (b) other ADHD medications.

Andrew Stephenson: Disruptions to the supply of medicines used for the management of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder have been primarily driven by issues which have resulted in capacity constraints at key manufacturing sites. The Department has been working hard with industry to help resolve those issues and expedite deliveries to boost supplies of these medicines, as quickly as possible. As a result of our ongoing activity and intensive work, some issues have been resolved. Many strengths of lisdexamphetamine, and all strengths of atomoxetine capsules, are now available. Medicine supply issues remain for some strengths of guanfacine, lisdexamphetamine, and methylphenidate. However, we continue to escalate these issues with the manufacturers to ensure that action is taken to resolve regulatory issues and expedite deliveries. We have been informed that these disruptions should largely be resolved by April or May 2024.

Cabinet Office

Electronic Government

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the policy paper entitled Transforming for a digital future: 2022 to 2025 roadmap for digital and data, updated on 29 November 2023, whether he will publish the Government Digital and Data Pay Framework.

Alex Burghart: The Digital and Data Pay Framework is being revalorised to meet market trends for Digital and Data roles, ensuring the Government can attract the right talent for critical roles. It is an internal framework for government use that is not intended to be published externally to protect market sensitivities. 35 organisations have adopted the framework. This is shared directly with their Pay and Reward teams.

Mobile Phones: Software

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the policy paper entitled Transforming for a digital future: 2022 to 2025 roadmap for digital and data, updated on 29 November 2023, what progress his Department has made on the development of a common mobile app strategy, framework and technical standards.

Alex Burghart: The Central Digital and Data Office (CDDO) has convened discussions with Chief Digital and Information Officers and Chief Technology Officers from across government to identify key principles and guardrails for the mobile app strategy. The strategy will be finalised next year, as set out in the 2022 to 2025 roadmap for digital and data. Alongside this, the Government Digital Service (GDS) is developing a GOV.UK App that builds upon the success of the existing GOV.UK One Login identity checking app, which has been downloaded over 5.7 million times.

Government Departments: Internet

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish the rate of cloud adoption for each Government Department as of 27 March 2024.

Alex Burghart: The Central Digital and Data Office (CDDO) in the Cabinet Office continues to work with departments to promote the best practice adoption of public cloud services, in accordance with Government Cloud First policy that has been extant since 2013. This was refreshed by CDDO in 2023. The requested information relating to specific departmental adoption rates of public cloud is not currently centrally held.

Ministers: Codes of Practice

Steve Reed: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to Q25 of the evidence given by the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) to the EFRA Committee on 26 March 2024, HC 163, whether the Prime Minister has asked the Cabinet Office to investigate the compliance of the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with the Ministerial Code.

John Glen: I have been asked to reply. I refer the hon. Member to the full statement by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs during his appearance at that Select Committee meeting (questions 25 to 27). The Secretary of State has recused himself from these matters. It is not uncommon for Ministers to balance their work as a constituency MP with their roles as Ministers, and there are established processes which support that.

Victims: Compensation

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department issues guidance on the issuing of compensation to victims of institutional failures.

John Glen: The Government has been steadfast in its commitment to providing diverse compensation schemes that cater to varying needs and circumstances and remains committed to upholding the rule of law, ensuring that all citizens have access to effective mechanisms for resolving grievances, and holding institutions accountable. Each Department responsible for a compensation scheme issues guidance to claimants for engaging with their respective scheme.

Blood: Contamination

Drew Hendry: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he is taking steps to ensure there are no delays to implementation of the final Infected Blood inquiry compensation report.

Siobhan Baillie: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to ensure coordination across Government departments on the efficient implementation of the full infected blood compensation scheme.

Siobhan Baillie: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what preparations his Department is making for the roll-out of the infected blood compensation scheme.

John Glen: Ministerial colleagues and I, as well as officials in the Cabinet Office and relevant other Government Departments, are working closely to ensure effective design and implementation of the Government response to Inquiry, with regular meetings and engagement across Whitehall. The Government is committed to responding to the recommendations made by Sir Brian Langstaff in full, after the publication of the final report. The Government has appointed an expert group to provide advice on recommendations regarding compensation, and we are bringing forward amendments to the Victims and Prisoners Bill at Report Stage in the Other Place to speed up the Government response to the Inquiry.

Department for Business and Trade

Export Controls: Human Rights

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether she is taking steps to implement the Export Controls and Human Rights Initiative Code of Conduct.

Alan Mak: The UK is a subscribing state to the 'Code of Conduct for Enhancing Export Controls of Goods and Technology that could be Misused and Lead to Serious Violations or Abuses of Human Rights'. The UK has committed to applying export controls to ensure that relevant goods and technologies are used in compliance with international human rights law.

Export Controls: Human Rights

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the Export Controls and Human Rights Initiative Code of Conduct, what recent discussions she has had with (a) the private sector, (b) academics and (c) civil society representatives on human rights and the implementation of export control measures.

Alan Mak: The Export Control Joint Unit has a regular and ongoing dialogue with the private sector, academics and civil society representatives about all aspects of export control policy and implementation, including human rights.

Manufacturing Industries: Supply Chains

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of requiring manufacturers to provide information to consumers of (a) cars and (b) other high value products on the extent to which repairs for those products are reliant on critical metals that are affected by supply-side disruption as a result of the war in Ukraine.

Alan Mak: Currently manufacturers are only legally required to provide consumers with information on fuel consumption and CO2 emissions, for new cars and vans at the point of sale. There are no obligations on manufacturers to provide information on where the materials are sourced and no assessment has been made of the potential merits of doing so. The UK Critical Minerals Strategy, published in July 2022, sets out steps for ensuring the long-term security of critical minerals like those needed for electric vehicle batteries.The Government understands the concerns of the automotive industry regarding the potential impact of the invasion on its business operations and supply chains worldwide.  We are in regular dialogue with UK auto manufacturers and business representative bodies to understand any direct and indirect impacts on UK operations, including trade related issues.

Body Shop: Redundancy

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will hold discussions with (a) FRP Advisory and (b) The Body Shop International Limited on alleged procedural errors in recent redundancy processes.

Kevin Hollinrake: My officials at the Insolvency Service’s Redundancy Payments Service have been working with the administrators from FRP Advisory to ensure that employee redundancy claims can be paid as soon as possible. If employee consultation requirements in relation to redundancies have not been met, their representative may make a complaint to an Employment Tribunal. If the complaint is upheld, the Tribunal has discretionary power to make a Protective Award in compensation to the affected employees.Administrators are licenced by a regulatory body, which would be responsible for investigating any matters relating to their conduct as officeholders. The Insolvency Service will review complaints about the conduct of the company’s directors to assess whether further investigation would be appropriate.

Department for Business and Trade: Liability

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what the value of her Department's (a) remote and (b) non-remote quantifiable contingent liabilities was on (i) 31 March (A) 2017, (B) 2018, (C) 2019, (D) 2020, (E) 2021, (F) 2022 and (G) 2023 and (ii) 26 March 2024.

Alan Mak: The value of departmental contingent liabilities for the periods up to and including the 2022/23 financial year have already been published in the former Department for International Trade's Annual Report and Accounts which is available at the following location:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/department-for-international-trade-annual-report-and-accounts.Contingent liabilities for the current financial year will be published in the Department for Business and Trade's Annual Report and Accounts in due course.

Industrial Disputes

Apsana Begum: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department has made a recent assessment of the potential impact of the provisions of the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Act 2023 on the ability of trade unions to represent their members in workplace disputes.

Kevin Hollinrake: The Strikes Act does not prevent or restrict the ability of trade unions to represent their members in workplace disputes, nor does it remove the ability for strikes to take place. It simply ensures there is a balance between the ability to strike and the need to ensure the public can continue to access essential services during strike action.

Competition and Markets Authority: Secondment

Matt Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many industry secondees worked in what departments of the Competition and Markets Authority in financial year 2022/23.

Kevin Hollinrake: In the financial year 2022 to 2023 there were a total of 23 industry secondees working at the Competition and Markets Authority. One was working in Enforcement, nine in the Office of the Chief Economic Adviser and thirteen in Legal Services.

Digital Regulation Cooperation Forum: Finance

Matt Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how much funding the Competition and Markets Authority provided to the Digital Regulation Cooperation Forum in the 2022-23 financial year.

Kevin Hollinrake: For the financial year 2022 to 2023, the Competition and Markets Authority provided a contribution of £88,954 to the Digital Regulation Cooperation Forum.

Digital Regulation Cooperation Forum: Secondment

Matt Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many Competition and Markets Authority employees were seconded to the Digital Regulation Cooperation Forum in the 2022-23 financial year.

Kevin Hollinrake: In the financial year 2022 to 2023 five employees from the Competition and Markets Authority were seconded to the Digital Regulation Cooperation Forum.

Harland and Wolff: Export Credit Guarantees

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 7 February to Question 12549 on Harland and Wolff: Export Credit Guarantees, what progress her Department has made on negotiations with Harland & Wolff in relation to compliance with applicable subsidy control rules.

Greg Hands: UK Export Finance’s (UKEF’s) support for export transactions is conditional on the inclusion of UK goods and services, with a general requirement that there should be at least 20% UK content relative to the value of its support. In this instance, UKEF support has already secured over €200 million of UK content into this project.

Trade Agreements: Switzerland

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent progress she has made on trade discussions with Switzerland.

Greg Hands: Since launching trade negotiations with Switzerland in May 2023, the UK has held four rounds of negotiations on an enhanced Free Trade Agreement. The fourth round took place from 4 to 8 March 2024. Discussions were productive, provisionally closing the chapter on Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). This will help UK SMEs expand their operations more easily into the Swiss market. The fifth round of negotiations is scheduled to take place in early summer where we will look to make further positive progress. We continue to keep Parliament and the public informed through regular parliamentary and GOV.UK updates.

Export Controls: Human Rights

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to Table 2.3 of the UK strategic export controls annual report 2022, published on 19 July 2023, HC1681, how many (a) Standard Individual Export Licence and (b) Standard Individual Trade Control Licence export applications were refused under Criterion 2 of the Strategic Export Licensing Criteria due to (i) a clear risk that the items might be used to commit or facilitate internal repression, (ii) established serious violations of human rights in the destination country and (iii) a clear risk that the items might be used to commit or facilitate a serious violation of international humanitarian law.

Alan Mak: As part of our commitment to transparency, HM Government publishes data on export licensing decisions on a quarterly basis in the Official Statistics, including data on outcome, end user destination, overall value, type (e.g. military, other) and a summary of the items covered by these licences. This data is available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/strategic-export-controls-licensing-data.

Export Controls

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of UK export controls in controlling the proliferation of sensitive technology in the areas of (a) artificial intelligence, (b) quantum, (c) biometric tools and (d) intangible technology transfers.

Alan Mak: The Government has been reviewing export controls and their application to sensitive emerging technologies across a range of sectors.We are looking shortly to publish the results of that review and launch a public consultation on the process for ensuring the controls evolve to meet the challenge of new and emerging technologies.

Export Controls

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to Table 2.3 of the UK strategic export controls annual report 2022, published on 19 July 2023, HC1681, what the destination countries were for refused (a) Standard Individual Export Licence and (b) Standard Individual Trade Control Licence export applications broken down by each Criterion.

Alan Mak: As part of our commitment to transparency, HM Government publishes data on export licensing decisions on a quarterly basis in the Official Statistics, including data on outcome, end user destination, overall value, type (e.g. military, other) and a summary of the items covered by these licences. This data is available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/strategic-export-controls-licensing-data.

Export Controls

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, on how many occasions the Change in Circumstances Review assessment process in the Export Controls Joint Unit has led to extant export licences being suspended in each year since 2010; and what the destination country was in each case.

Alan Mak: The Export Control Joint Unit (ECJU) has in place an established process for responding at pace to changing conditions in a country where the UK has previously granted export licences, and where those licences remain extant.The FCDO advises DBT on the situation in country and the risks this poses with respect to the UK’s export control responsibilities. The MOD advises DBT on the risks of diversion of exported goods and national security risks arising from hostile state activity. The Department of Business and Trade, with DBT Secretary of State as the decision-making authority, decides whether to amend, suspend or revoke any relevant licences.We publish comprehensive Official Statistics every quarter about the decisions we make on licence applications, including any decisions to suspend or revoke licences. This data is available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/strategic-export-controls-licensing-data.

Export Controls

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, on how many occasions the Change in Circumstances Review assessment process in the Export Controls Joint Unit has led to extant export licences being revoked in each year since 2010; and what the destination country was in each case.

Alan Mak: The Export Control Joint Unit (ECJU) has in place an established process for responding at pace to changing conditions in a country where the UK has previously granted export licences, and where those licences remain extant.The FCDO advises DBT on the situation in country and the risks this poses with respect to the UK’s export control responsibilities. The MOD advises DBT on the risks of diversion of exported goods and national security risks arising from hostile state activity. The Department of Business and Trade, with DBT Secretary of State as the decision-making authority, decides whether to amend, suspend or revoke any relevant licences.We publish comprehensive Official Statistics every quarter about the decisions we make on licence applications, including any decisions to suspend or revoke licences. This data is available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/strategic-export-controls-licensing-data.

Export Controls

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what criteria are used to decide to initiate the Change in Circumstances Review process in the Export Controls Joint Unit.

Alan Mak: All licences are kept under careful and continual review as standard. We are able to amend, suspend or revoke extant licences and refuse new licence applications as circumstances require.The Government can and does respond quickly and flexibly to changing or fluid international circumstances. ECJU has in place an established process for responding at pace to changing conditions in a country where the UK has previously granted export licences, and where those licences remain extant.The criteria for initiating this process can include, but are not limited to, protests, coup d’etats, changes to sanctions, or conflict with a neighbouring country.

Export Controls

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many Change in Circumstances Reviews were undertaken in the Export Controls Joint Unit in each year since 2010; and which countries were subject to each such review.

Alan Mak: The Export Control Joint Unit (ECJU) has in place an established process for responding at pace to changing conditions in a country where the UK has previously granted export licences, and where those licences remain extant.The FCDO advises DBT on the situation in country and the risks this poses with respect to the UK’s export control responsibilities. The MOD advises DBT on the risks of diversion of exported goods and national security risks arising from hostile state activity. The Department of Business and Trade, with DBT Secretary of State as the decision-making authority, decides whether to amend, suspend or revoke any relevant licences.    We publish comprehensive Official Statistics every quarter about the decisions we make on licence applications. This data is available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/strategic-export-controls-licensing-data.Given its diplomatic sensitivity, the Government is unable to disclose the specific number and destination countries of Change in Circumstances Reviews.

UAV Engines: Exports

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if her Department will make an assessment of the likelihood of the presence of (a) engines and (b) engine parts produced by UAV Engines, Staffordshire, in the Hermes 450 drone used in the strikes on World Central Kitchen vehicles.

Alan Mak: We continue to monitor the situation in Israel and Gaza closely but are not commenting on specific licences.All export licence applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis against the Strategic Export Licensing Criteria. The UK operates one of the most robust and transparent export control regimes in the world.We are carefully reviewing initial findings of Israel’s investigations into the killing of World Central Kitchen (WCK) aid workers.The findings of the inquiry must be published in full and followed up with a wholly independent review to ensure the utmost transparency and accountability.

Export Controls

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many export licence applications were escalated to the dispute resolution mechanism or complex cases mechanism in each year since 2010; and what the destination country was in each such case.

Alan Mak: Export licence applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis against announced policies and the Strategic Export Licensing Criteria (SELC). Decisions are routinely taken by the Export Control Joint Unit (ECJU), on behalf of the Secretary of State for Business and Trade. These decisions are taken in consultation with officials from other government departments, principally the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office and the Ministry of Defence but occasionally other Departments are also consulted depending on the nature of the case.There is no single ‘dispute resolution mechanism’ which is regularly or consistently enacted. There have been various occasions since 2010 where different procedures have been set up to enable wider consultation and scrutiny of export licensing cases with Ministers across Government. These were in reaction to specific concerns or strategic priorities at the time. They can involve different attendees and terms of reference depending on the situation. We do not maintain data on how often this sort of procedure has been used over multiple years.There is no specific ‘complex case mechanism’. ECJU receives a high volume of ‘complex cases’ and the vast majority are decided upon by consensus. However, if ECJU officials are unable to come to a consensus about a case they could refer it to MOD and FCDO Ministers, and ultimately to the Secretary of State for Business and Trade who has the responsibility for making the final decision. This happens extremely rarely in practice and therefore we do not maintain data on its occurrence over multiple years.

Export Controls

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many extant strategic export licences were referred to Ministers in (a) her Department, (b) the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and (c) the Ministry of Defence in each year since 2010; and what the destination countries were in each such case.

Alan Mak: Export licence applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis against announced policies and the Strategic Export Licensing Criteria (SELC). Given the high volume of decisions taken every week, the vast majority of licensing applications are decided upon by officials within the Export Control Joint Unit acting on behalf of the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, using the framework provided by the SELC. These decisions are taken in consultation with officials from other government departments including the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office and the Ministry of Defence.In practice a very small proportion of export licensing decisions are escalated to Ministers. For example, this happens when a decision is finely balanced or when Ministers have asked for certain types of cases to be referred to them for decision. As with any part of Government, ECJU officials would consult Ministers from the three Departments in the normal course of their work, including on some export control applications, as and when necessary. We do not maintain a central record of how many times this has happened in the last 14 years.Ministers are always consulted on any decisions related to revoking or suspending licences. We report on the volume of revoked and suspended licences in our Quarterly Statistics and Annual Report. These can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/strategic-export-controls-licensing-data

Export Controls

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what role the National Cyber Security Centre plays in facilitating export controls to prevent the proliferation of sensitive technology in the areas of (a) artificial intelligence, (b) quantum computing, (c) biometric tools and data and (d) intangible technology transfers.

Alan Mak: The National Cyber Security Centre is HM Government’s national technical authority for information security and advises the Export Control Joint Unit, in the Department for Business and Trade, on export licence applications for goods involving sensitive communications or computer technology.

Electronic Surveillance: Export Controls

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of export controls on cyber-surveillance tools.

Alan Mak: The UK already controls the export of a range of cyber-surveillance tools. Export licence applications for such items are rigorously assessed against the Strategic Export Licensing Criteria taking full account of risks to national security and human rights. The UK Government continues to work through the international export control regimes to ensure these controls remain up-to-date.   In assessing licences involving sensitive communications technology, the Export Control Joint Unit also takes advice from HM Government’s National Cyber Security Centre.

Export Controls

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to Table 2.4 of the UK strategic export controls annual report 2022, published on 19 July 2023, HC1681, for what reasons the number of (a) Standard Individual Export Licences and (b) Standard Individual Trade Control Licences revoked under Criterion 1 increased in 2022.

Alan Mak: Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine the Government expanded the scope and scale of its sanctions measures against Russia. This resulted in an increase in export licences needing to be revoked because they were not consistent with new sanctions. Consequently, these licences were revoked under Criterion 1.

Export Controls

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many strategic export licence applications were escalated to Ministers in (a) her Department, (b) the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and (c) the Ministry of Defence in each year since 2010; and what the destination countries were in each such case.

Alan Mak: Export licence applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis against announced policies and the Strategic Export Licensing Criteria (SELC). Given the high volume of decisions taken every week, the vast majority of licensing applications are decided upon by officials within the Export Control Joint Unit acting on behalf of the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, using the framework provided by the SELC. These decisions are taken in consultation with officials from other government departments including the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office and the Ministry of Defence.In practice a very small proportion of export licensing decisions are escalated to Ministers. For example, this happens when a decision is finely balanced or when Ministers have asked for certain types of cases to be referred to them for decision. As with any part of Government, ECJU officials would consult Ministers from the three Departments in the normal course of their work, including on some export control applications, as and when necessary. We do not maintain a central record of how many times this has happened in the last 14 years.Ministers are always consulted on any decisions related to revoking or suspending licences. We report on the volume of revoked and suspended licences in our Quarterly Statistics and Annual Report. These can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/strategic-export-controls-licensing-data

Hydroelectric Power: Democratic Republic of Congo

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of energy market liberalisation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo on levels of investment by British hydropower companies in that country.

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether her Department has taken recent steps to help support British hydropower companies to increase trade in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the context of energy market liberalisation in that country.

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of increasing trade with the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the aid required by that country.

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps she is taking to promote agricultural technology to the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Greg Hands: The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) does not have an office in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to assess the commercial opportunities, either in general or the specific sectors named in the questions. However, DBT can support opportunities in DRC via its hub in South Africa or sector advisers. The Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy, Lord Popat, has a watching brief to evaluate the opportunities in DRC and His Majesty’s Trade Commissioner (HMTC) for Africa is working to ensure we understand the potential for British Business to operate ethically in the DRC. Both our Trade Envoy and HMTC are due to visit the DRC in April.

Body Shop: Redundancy

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether her Department is taking steps to help support people made redundant by The Body Shop International Limited.

Kevin Hollinrake: While this is a commercial decision for the company, we understand that this will be a concerning time for workers at The Body Shop, and we stand ready to support those impacted.Affected employees will be able to access our broad range of support, including Universal Credit and JobCentre Plus, through the Department for Work and Pension's Rapid Response Service.Employees who worked for the company under an employment contract may be eligible for statutory redundancy pay, compensatory notice pay, and holiday pay, for which they can apply to the Insolvency Service.

Export Controls

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to Table 2.4 of the UK strategic export controls annual report 2022, published on 19 July 2023, HC1681, what the (a) destination country and (b) type of goods to be exported were for each Standard Individual Export Licence and Standard Individual Trade Control Licence revoked under Criterion 2.

Alan Mak: As part of our commitment to transparency, HM Government publishes data on export licensing decisions on a quarterly basis in the Official Statistics, including data on outcome, end user destination, overall value, type (e.g. military, other) and a summary of the items covered by these licences. This data is available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/strategic-export-controls-licensing-data.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Incinerators: Wisbech

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he had discussions with the planning inspectorate on MVV Environment incinerator proposals in his constituency.

Steve Barclay: As Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, I have not made representations to the planning inspectorate.In my capacity as the Member of Parliament for North East Cambridgeshire, I have made a number of representations to the Planning Inspectorate. This includes representations made on: 29 July 2022; 06 October 2022; 09 March 2023; 24 March 2023; 02 February 2024; and 13 February 2024.These representations are a matter of the public record and can be found on the Planning Inspectorate’s website: https://national-infrastructure-consenting.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/projects/EN010110

Incinerators: Wisbech

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he sought legal advice on the MVV Environment incinerator proposal in his constituency.

Steve Barclay: In my capacity as Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, I have not sought legal advice on the MVV Environment facility proposed in North East Cambridgeshire

Incinerators: Wisbech

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department sought external legal advice on the proposal by MVV Environment to build a new incinerator in his constituency.

Steve Barclay: Defra has not sought legal advice with regard to the proposal for a waste incineration facility operated by MVV Environment in North East Cambridgeshire

Incinerators: Wisbech

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Environment Agency on MVV Environment's proposals for an energy from waste plant in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire.

Steve Barclay: In my capacity as the Member of Parliament for North East Cambridgeshire, I met with former Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, my Rt. Hon friend, Thérèse Coffey, Defra officials and an Environment Agency official on 19 July 2023 to discuss the proposal for a waste incineration facility in North East Cambridgeshire.

Incinerators: Wisbech

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will publish all correspondence he has exchanged with the Environment Agency relating to MVV Environment's proposals for an energy from waste plant to be built in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire.

Steve Barclay: In my capacity as Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, I have had no correspondence with the Environment Agency relating to MVV Environment's proposals for an energy from waste plant to be built in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire.

Incinerators: Wisbech

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, on what date he recused himself from the decision-making process for the proposed MVV Environment incinerator construction in his constituency.

Steve Barclay: On 27 February 2024, following advice from the Permanent Secretary, I formally recused myself from any decisions relating to incinerator policy. I put in place with the Permanent Secretary a formal recusal process which means I have no involvement in any decisions or sight of advice related to incinerator policy. All decisions on this policy will be taken by a junior Minister in the department who has no relevant interest.As I stated at the EFRA Select Committee on 26 March 2024, I had previously flagged my constituency interest, and had said the policy needed to be delegated to another minister, recognising the importance of the Ministerial Code in terms of conflicts of interests, and also the perception of any conflicts of interest. As soon as I was notified by the Permanent Secretary of the need to formally recuse myself, that is exactly what I did.

Incinerators: Wisbech

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has had discussions with Ministers in his Department on the MVV Environment incinerator proposal in his constituency.

Steve Barclay: On 27 February 2024, following advice from the Permanent Secretary, I formally recused myself from any decisions relating to incinerator policy. I put in place with the Permanent Secretary a formal recusal process which means I have no involvement in any decisions or sight of advice related to incinerator policy. All decisions on this policy will be taken by a junior Minister in the department who has no relevant interest.As I stated at the EFRA Select Committee on 26 March 2024, I had previously flagged my constituency interest, and had said the policy needed to be delegated to another minister, recognising the importance of the Ministerial Code in terms of conflicts of interests, and also the perception of any conflicts of interest. As soon as I was notified by the Permanent Secretary of the need to formally recuse myself, that is exactly what I did.

Pigs and Poultry: Animal Feed

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will open a consultation into allowing insect based protein to be fed to poultry and pigs.

Sir Mark Spencer: Defra is committed to launching a consultation this summer on proposed changes to the livestock feed controls. These will include a proposal to allow insect processed protein in poultry and pig feed.

Inland Waterways: Bacteria

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of raw sewage in inland waterways on levels of (a) antimicrobial and (b) antibiotic resistance in waterborne bacteria networks.

Robbie Moore: There are no plans to perform assessments of possible impacts of raw sewage on levels of antimicrobic substances, and antibiotic resistance in bacterial communities in our surface waters. To do so would require extensive field monitoring, and analytical challenges would need to be robustly addressed to ascertain whether raw sewage discharges in the presence of other sources are responsible for antimicrobial resistance in river bacteria. However, the Environment Agency has been engaged in the cross government PATHSAFE programme to identify the pathways of antimicrobial resistance to humans and if it were decided necessary, the Agency would advise on the practical steps to undertake such assessments.

Rivers: Bacteria

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to monitor the potential (a) presence and (b) spread of (i) antibiotic-resistant and (ii) antimicrobial-resistant organisms that are hazardous to human health in rivers.

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has had discussions with Cabinet colleagues on the potential impact of (a) antibiotic-resistant and (b) antimicrobial-resistant organisms in waterborne bacteria networks on public health.

Robbie Moore: We have been working with the Environment Agency and the UK Health Security Agency, to trial methods for detecting and quantifying antibiotic resistant bacteria in 3 river catchments in England and to provide example data on their presence and prevalence. The work involved sampling river waters at sites along the length of each river and subject to different land uses and potential sources of resistant bacteria. We expect to publish the results in the summer. The Secretary of State has regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues on a wide range of issues, and Cabinet discussions are considered confidential.

Treasury

Public Expenditure

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to his Department's contingent liability approval framework guidance, updated on 20 April 2023, how many applications for contingent liability approval his Department has (a) received and (b) approved have fallen in the reasonable worst case exposure category of (i) less than £10 million, (ii) £10 million to £50 million, (iii) £50 million to £100 million, (iv) £100 million to £500 million, (v) £500 million to £1 billion and (vi) more than £1 billion in each financial year from (A) 2017-18 to (B) 2023-24 to date.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to his Department's contingent liability approval framework guidance, updated on 20 April 2023, how many applications for contingent liability approval his Department has (a) received and (b) approved have fallen in the average cost per crystallisation category of (i) less than £10 million, (ii) £10 million to £50 million, (iii) £50 million to £100 million, (iv) £100 million to £500 million, (v) £500 million to £1 billion and (vi) more than £1 billion in each financial year from (a) 2017-18 to (B) 2023-24 to date.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to his Department's contingent liability approval framework guidance, updated on 20 April 2023, what the total lifetime expected net cost was of all the applications for contingent liability approved by his Department in each financial year from (a) 2017-18 to (b) 2023-24 to date.

Laura Trott: The contingent liability approval framework sets out government’s policy framework for new contingent liabilities and a delegation approach. The government is committed to transparency on its contingent liability portfolio. For that reason, at the 2023 Autumn Statement UKGI published a comprehensive assessment of government exposure to contingent liabilities, the “Annual Report on the UK Government’s Contingent Liabilities, November 2023”. Government also reports individual liabilities to parliament, as set out in Managing Public Money.

Wines: Excise Duties

Dan Carden: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the temporary easement for wine products will end on 1 February 2025.

Gareth Davies: As part of the new alcohol duty system, the Government introduced the temporary wine easement. During this period, all wine between 11.5-14.5% alcohol by volume (ABV) will pay duty as if it were 12.5% ABV. The temporary wine easement will last until 1 February 2025, giving the wine industry over two years to adapt to the new system. The Government is closely monitoring the impact of the recent reforms and will evaluate the impact of the new rates and structures three years after the changes took effect on 1 August 2023. This will allow time to understand the impacts on the alcohol market, and for HMRC to gather useful and accurate data with which to evaluate the effects of the reform.As with all taxes, the Government keeps the alcohol duty system under review during its yearly Budget process.

Tourism: VAT

Drew Hendry: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment his Department has made of the impact of ending tax-free shopping for international visitors on levels of tourism since 2020.

Drew Hendry: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent estimate his Department has made of the impact of ending tax-free shopping for international visitors on levels of spending by international visitors since 2020.

Nigel Huddleston: The government published its next steps, in relation to tax-free shopping in the Spring Budget 2024 which is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/spring-budget-2024/spring-budget-2024-html.

Shares: Stamp Duties

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Approximately, how much stamp duty was paid on the purchase of UK-based shares in each of the last two financial years.

Nigel Huddleston: HM Revenue & Customs do not hold the information on the amount of stamp duty paid on the purchase of shares solely based in the UK.

Arts: Tax Allowances

Damian Collins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has made an (a) assessment of the impact on the economy and (b) estimate of the number of recipients of (i) audio-visual (A) tax relief and (B) expenditure credit, (ii) museums and gallery exhibition tax relief and (iii) theatres and orchestras tax relief since 2010.

Nigel Huddleston: a) An evaluation of the creative industry tax reliefs covering Film Tax Relief, High-end Television Tax Relief, Animation Tax Relief and Children’s Television Tax Relief was published in 2022: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/creative-industry-tax-reliefs-evaluation An evaluation of the video games tax relief was published in 2017: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/video-game-tax-relief-evaluation A qualitative evaluation capturing the wider impacts of the Museums and Galleries relief was conducted in 2020: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/tax-relief-for-museums-and-galleries-qualitative-research The government keeps the tax system under review. b) The number of recipients of the creative industry tax reliefs is published in HMRC’s Creative Industries Statistics: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/creative-industries-statistics-august-2023

Police: Scotland

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has received representations from (a) the Scottish Government, (b) local authorities in Scotland, (c) Police Scotland and (d) the Scottish Police Authority on the potential impact of tax rules in relation to employer-provided accommodation on police officers working in (i) rural and (ii) remote areas in Scotland.

Nigel Huddleston: Accommodation can be exempted from tax, providing it meets certain conditions which are set out in HMRC guidance. These rules apply to the whole of the UK and are consistent across different employers. This ensures the UK tax system is simple, easy to understand, and limits the risk of abuse. The government has no plans to make changes to the tax rules or guidance in this area, but does keep all taxes under review. The government recognises the critical role police officers play in our communities. However, policing and housing are devolved to the Scottish Parliament and the provision of broader support in these areas, beyond tax relief, is therefore a matter for the Scottish Government.

Childcare: Taxation

Claire Hanna: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of increasing the childcare tax free cap.

Laura Trott: Tax-Free Childcare provides financial support for working parents with their childcare costs. For every £8 parents pay into their childcare account, the Government adds £2 up to a maximum of £2,000 in top up per year for each child up to age 11 and up to £4,000 per disabled child until they’re 17. The Government recognizes the importance of supporting parents with the costs of childcare and continues to support families with a range of other childcare offers, including the free hours offer, and support through Universal Credit childcare.

Public Expenditure

Peter Dowd: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Spring Budget 2024, whether he has made an estimate of the potential return on investment of (a) violence reduction units, (b) hot spot policing, (c) increasing the capacity of children's homes and (d) the building of 15 new special free schools.

Laura Trott: These measures are part of the Public Sector Productivity Review, which will deliver up to £1.8 billion worth of benefits by 2029. We have committed £75 million to expand the Violence Reduction Unit model across England and Wales, supporting a prevention-first approach to serious violence. Violence Reduction Units enable local public services such as health boards, schools and police leaders to coordinate their joint strategy to tackle serious violence among young people, preventing violent crime and reducing burdens on healthcare, schools and criminal justice. As part of the Anti-Social Behaviour Action Plan, we committed £66.3 million to scale up hotspot enforcement. From April 2024, hotspot response will be rolled out across every police force area in England and Wales, which will see thousands of additional high visibility patrols in the places most affected by Serious Violence and Anti-Social Behaviour. An independent evaluation found that in 2022/23, VRUs and hotspot policing prevented 3,220 hospital admissions from violent injury – a statistically significant drop. Please find a link to the evaluation here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/violence-reduction-units-year-ending-march-2023-evaluation-report/violence-reduction-units-2022-to-2023#:~:text=In%202022%2C%20a%20further%202,data%20sharing%20and%20analysis. On increasing the capacity of children’s homes, the Government announced £165 million of funding over the next 4 years to reduce the reliance of local authorities on costly emergency provision. Finally, the building of 15 new special free schools through £105 million of investment over the next 4 years will deliver over 2,000 additional special places for children with special education needs and disabilities.

Childcare: Government Assistance

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to provide financial support to parents for childcare.

Laura Trott: At Spring Budget 2023, the government announced the biggest ever investment in childcare in England, meaning eligible working parents in England will be able to access 30 hours of free childcare per week for 38 weeks per year from when their child is 9 months old, to when they start school. To support this expansion, the Government will spend over £4.1 billion by 2027-28, has provided over £400 million to substantially uplift the hourly rate paid to providers to deliver the existing childcare entitlements in 24-25, and is allocating £100 million capital funding to support childcare settings to increase their physical space. At Spring Budget 2024, the government also announced a commitment to increasing the national average hourly rate providers are paid to deliver the offers in line with the metric used at Spring Budget 2023 in 2025-26 and 2026-27, representing £500m of additional investment. Parents who are not eligible for the 30 free childcare hours may still be able to access other offers. Parents can find more details on the support available and check if they are eligible at the following link: https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/.

Postgraduate Education: Overseas Students

Alex Sobel: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the decline in international postgraduate student numbers on the UK’s economy.

Laura Trott: International students make a significant positive contribution to the British economy. According to a study by HEPI and Kaplan, the lifetime net economic benefit of the 21/22 cohort of international students was £37bn with each student making a net contribution of nearly £100,000 on average. The independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) make a net migration forecast to underpin their economic and fiscal forecasts, which reflects the latest data and migration policy. At Spring Budget, the OBR assessed migration to fall more sharply than the ONS net migration projections in the short-term before it reaches 315,000 at the end of the forecast period. Rising emigration and effect of policy explain their adjustment.

Defence: Finance

James Heappey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what (a) fiscal and (b) economic conditions have to be met for defence spending to be raised to 2.5% of Gross Domestic Product.

Laura Trott: The government’s aspiration is to invest 2.5% of GDP on defence, when the fiscal and economic circumstances allow. The Prime Minister has been clear that the target and path towards 2.5% will be set out at the next Spending Review.The government has consistently prioritised defence spending. The Ministry of Defence was the first department to get certainty on its budgets in this Parliament. This settlement was the largest sustained spending increase in defence since the end of the Cold War, with a £24 billion uplift in cash terms over the four-year period. In March 2023, we also provided an extra £11 billion for defence and national security priorities over the next five years, with £4.95 billion over the next two years.

Debts

Dan Carden: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has made an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the recommendations of Debt Justice's Together Against Debt Manifesto, published in March 2024.

Bim Afolami: The Government is committed to supporting people in problem debt. This is why at Spring Budget 2024 the Chancellor announced changes to make it easier to access a Debt Relief Order (DRO) in England and Wales. In May 2021, the Government launched the Breathing Space scheme, providing a period of protections from creditor enforcement action for individuals in problem debt. The Government Debt Management Function (GDMF) have also recently developed and published a toolkit to help public sector creditors identity and support vulnerable individuals.The Government provides a range of debt advice services through the Money and Pensions Service to meet the needs of individuals in problem debt, including national and community-based services.

Money Laundering: Regulation

Alistair Strathern: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions he has had with the Financial Conduct Authority on improving the effectiveness of money laundering regulations.

Bim Afolami: Officials and Ministers regularly meet the Financial Conduct Authority in its capacity as the supervisor of financial institutions for anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing purposes. On 11 March 2024 HM Treasury launched a consultation on improving the effectiveness of the Money Laundering Regulations (https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/improving-the-effectiveness-of-the-money-laundering-regulations). HM Treasury officials will be engaging with key stakeholders, including among others the FCA, throughout the consultation process.

Public Expenditure

Drew Hendry: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of the use of different economic forecasts by (a) the Bank of England and (b) the OBR on (i) monetary and (ii) fiscal decisions.

Bim Afolami: Monetary policy is the responsibility of the independent Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Bank of England, so the government rightly does not comment on the conduct of monetary policy. The MPC publishes its forecasts on a quarterly basis to inform its monetary policy decisions.The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) is the UK government’s independent official forecaster and publishes economic and fiscal forecasts at least twice per year alongside fiscal events. The OBR provides independence, transparency and credibility via its assessment of the economic and fiscal position and as the official forecaster it is right that it is the basis for government fiscal policy decisions.The MPC and the OBR have different responsibilities, so it is right that they produce their own forecasts. The MPC’s forecasts reflect policy announced by the government and fiscal assumptions from the OBR and HM Treasury.

Economic Growth

Simon Jupp: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to his speech to the Conservative Party conference on 2 October 2023, on what evidential basis he said that the UK was one of the fastest growing European G7 countries since the date of the EU referendum.

Bim Afolami: The calculations underlying this statistic were based on public information available on the 29 September 2023, including quarterly GDP data published by the Office for National Statistics for the UK and OECD data for the remaining G7 European economies. The data showed that cumulative GDP growth in the UK since the referendum (change on 2016 Q2) through to 2023 Q2 of 8.2% was greater than that of Germany (5.7%) and Italy (4.7%) and slightly lower than France (8.6%).

Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank

Tim Loughton: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what funding the UK has committed to the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank since becoming a member.

Bim Afolami: Details on UK funding committed to the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) can be found in the AIIB Capital Order 2015 and in the published guidance relating to the AIIB Project Preparation Special Fund.

Safe Hands Plans

Chris Law: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department considered instructing the Financial Conduct Authority to investigate Safe Hands Funeral Plans in (a) 2017 and (b) 2018.

Bim Afolami: The Treasury and FCA have worked closely throughout the process of bringing the funeral plans sector into regulation, as well as during the implementation and onset of the new regulatory framework. However, the FCA is one of the independent regulators responsible for supervising the financial services industry. Although the Treasury sets the legal framework for the regulation of financial services, it has strictly limited powers in relation to the FCA. In particular, the Treasury has no general power of direction over the FCA and cannot intervene in individual cases.

Tourism: VAT

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of re-introducing tax-free shopping for international visitors on retail businesses.

Nigel Huddleston: The government published its next steps on tax-free shopping in the Spring Budget 2024 which is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/spring-budget-2024/spring-budget-2024-html. The OBR published a review of the original 2020 costing of the withdrawal of tax-free shopping in the Economic and Fiscal Outlook on 6 March, with a follow up supplementary document published on 11 March, which is available here: https://obr.uk/docs/dlm_uploads/VAT-RES-costing-review.pdf.The government welcomes further submissions in response to the OBR’s findings.

Tourism: VAT

Drew Hendry: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of reinstating tax-free shopping for international visitors on the high street economy.

Nigel Huddleston: The government published its next steps on tax-free shopping in the Spring Budget 2024 which is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/spring-budget-2024/spring-budget-2024-html. The OBR published a review of the original 2020 costing of the withdrawal of tax-free shopping in the Economic and Fiscal Outlook on 6 March, with a follow up supplementary document published on 11 March, which is available here: https://obr.uk/docs/dlm_uploads/VAT-RES-costing-review.pdf

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

Question

Jerome Mayhew: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what recent discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on encouraging Qatari investment in UK research and development.

Andrew Griffith: Through all our global partnerships, including those in the Gulf, government is delivering on the UK’s Science and Technology Framework and strengthening UK R&D.Qatar is an important friend to the UK and our bilateral relationship includes cooperation across many areas. The UK-Qatar Strategic Investment Partnership, signed in May 2022, signalled Qatar’s intention to deploy a further £10bn investment in key UK sectors, such as life science, zero-emissions vehicles and fintech over the next 5 years.The UK’s new research MoU with Saudi Arabia, which I signed last month, is another example of where we are driving forward partnerships in the region to support UK R&D.

Question

Kim Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to increase diversity and inclusion in the STEM workforce.

Andrew Griffith: The Science and Technology Framework sets out our commitment to expanding STEM opportunities to as diverse a range of people as possible. The Government is inspiring people from all backgrounds through continued funding and support of the CREST Awards, STEM Ambassador programme, and our AI and Data Science Conversion Course and scholarship programme. The Government has consistently emphasised how essential it is to build mathematical capabilities in the UK, and the Prime Minister announced last year an ambition for all young people to study maths to age 18. We are also committed to supporting the establishment of new Academy focussed on the Mathematical Sciences, helping the sector in a long-term and sustainable way.

Disinformation

John Penrose: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, further to the Online Safety Act 2023, what additional steps she plans to take to help tackle online disinformation and misinformation.

Saqib Bhatti: The Online Safety Act will be our key tool in combatting the most egregious forms of online mis- and disinformation but Government action doesn’t stop there. In addition, we are educating and empowering users through our work on media literacy, responding to information threats to our democracy via the Defending Democracy Taskforce, and analysing attempts to artificially manipulate the online information environment through the work of the National Security Online Information Team. I regularly meet with major platforms to discuss these issues and would be very happy to update him on recent progress that has been made.

Semiconductors: Manufacturing Industries

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to implement the National Semiconductor Strategy.

Saqib Bhatti: Since publishing our strategy, we have made excellent progress to grow our domestic sector, improve our supply chain resilience and protect our national security. We have launched the Semiconductor Advisory Panel, an incubator pilot programme, ChipStart UK, joined the EU Chips Joint Undertaking, agreed an ambitious partnership with Japan and secured commitments to work more closely with the US and the Republic of Korea. We are on track to invest £240 million by April 2025. It should be further noted that this government has invested more into priority technologies like semiconductors than any government in history.

Digital Technology: Disadvantaged

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to reduce the digital skills gap.

Saqib Bhatti: The Government is committed to ensuring access to digital skills for all. By 2024-25, we’re investing £3.8 billion in Digital Skills across England and have quadrupled the scale of Skills Bootcamps.The Government provides free Essential Digital Skills Qualifications to address the diverse needs of adults with limited digital proficiency.Additionally, the Digital Skills Council drives industry-led action. In February, DSIT partnered with the Council in delivering a communications campaign for Skills Bootcamps in high-demand digital fields. But plugging this gap also means getting the basics right – which is why this government has embarked on one of the largest infrastructure projects in modern times to connect millions of households to gigabit broadband – laying enough fibre optic cable to circle the Earth five times.

Digital Technology: Disadvantaged

Steve Tuckwell: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to improve digital inclusion for people who are unable to access the internet.

Saqib Bhatti: Ensuring people have access to fast, reliable, affordable internet is a priority for this Government.As a result of our work with the telecoms industry, basic, non-standalone, 5G is available outside 93% of UK premises, as of April 2024, ThinkBroadband reports that gigabit broadband is available to over 82% of the UK and - through Project Gigabit – we’re investing £5 billion to bring fibre to hard-to-reach communities.Broadband and mobile social tariffs are available in 99% of the UK to help low-income households stay connected.

Telecommunications: Security

Sir Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what recent discussions her Department has had with (a) Openreach Limited and (b) other telecoms operators on improving security measures for accessing shared network infrastructure.

Julia Lopez: The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) regularly engages with telecoms operators to discuss a range of security and risk related issues, including the security of shared network infrastructure, and to ensure the security of telecoms network infrastructure. Officials and ministers meet regularly with individual companies (including Openreach), industry bodies and the industry-led Electronic Communications Resilience and Response Group (EC-RRG). Communication Providers have statutory obligations set out in section 105A-Z of the Communications Act 2003 to take appropriate and proportionate measures to identify, prepare for and reduce the risk of security compromise. This includes anything that compromises the availability, performance or functionality of the network or service. Openreach has commercial contracts with broadband contractors who access its ducts and poles. The Office of the Telecommunications Adjudicator (OTA) works with Openreach and Communication Providers to support mediated resolution of working-level implementation issues relating to these contracts. If there are concerns that statutory obligations are being breached, then these should be raised with Ofcom. Ofcom’s Openreach Monitoring Unit ensures that the company meets expectations in how it deals with both its customers and its competitors.

House of Commons Commission

House of Commons: Staff

Nick Fletcher: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the House of Commons Commission, if the Commission will make an assessment of the potential merits of asking House of Commons staff not to wear pins or badges that express support for (a) social movements, (b) campaigns and (c) organisations.

Sir Charles Walker: All staff of the House of Commons and Parliamentary Digital Service (PDS), wherever they work, must carry out their duties and deliver services with complete political impartiality, and must be seen to do so. The wearing of pins or badges which express a personal view on a politically controversial issue would not therefore be appropriate in the workplace. Guidance for House of Commons and PDS staff on political impartiality, which was updated in 2022, can be found in Part 5 of the House of Commons Staff Handbook.

House of Commons: Staff

Nick Fletcher: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the House of Commons Commission, what the cost to the public purse has been of equality, diversity or inclusion themed lanyards for House of Commons staff in each of the last three financial years for which information is available; and for what (a) themes and (b) types of lanyard that cost was incurred.

Sir Charles Walker: In 2021–2022 there was no spend on lanyards.In 2022–2023, in support of LGBT+ people in Parliament, the House Administration approved a request from ParliOut to spend £380 for 500 rainbow lanyards. ParliOut is the workplace equality network (WEN) for LGBT+ people in Parliament.In 2023–2024, in support of LGBT+ people in Parliament, the Administration approved expenditure from ParliOut of £1,639 on 1,500 rainbow/progressive flag lanyards. In support of disabled people in Parliament, the Administration approved expenditure from ParliAble of £475 on purple lanyards bearing the ParliAble logo. ParliAble is the workplace equality network for disabled people in Parliament.As the networks are bicameral, their expenditure is split 70% by the House of Commons and 30% by the House of Lords.The lanyards are not solely for House of Commons staff. They are worn by any interested passholders, including Members of both Houses and their staff, staff of both Houses, contractors, etc.

Ministry of Justice

Wandsworth Prison: Fires

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many incidents of cell fires there have been in HMP Wandsworth in each year since 2010.

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what percentage of prison officers have received respiratory protective equipment training at HMP Wandsworth.

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to increase the percentage of prison officers at HMP Wandsworth trained in the use of respiratory protective equipment.

Edward Argar: The number of fire incidents at HMP Wandsworth in each year since 2015 are shown in the table below. Information on fire incidents before 2015 is not available, because the records have been destroyed in line with our retention policy. HMP Wandsworth Fire Incidents Calendar Year Fires  201553 201666 2017105 201836 201945 202047 202152 2022103 202378 The overwhelming majority of the cell fires were considered ‘minor’ and quickly dealt with by staff, and medical assessment is provided for anyone who may have been exposed to smoke or heat. Since 2015, in most years 100% of the fires were considered as minor, and in all years over 95% were considered as minor. Where it is found that a fire is the result of arson, or of recklessness, the prisoner responsible will face robust punitive action, which can include further criminal charges.All operational staff receive Respiratory Protective Equipment training. Prison officers receive it as part of their Prison Officer Entry Level Training.To promote staff awareness and proficiency, the Governor of HMP Wandsworth has arranged for an additional refresher training session to be delivered each week.

Prisoners: Foreign Nationals

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will publish a breakdown of offences committed by foreign nationals held in the prison estate.

Edward Argar: The requested information can be found in the attached spreadsheet. The removal of Foreign National Offenders (FNOs) is a Government priority and my department continues to work closely with the Home Office to maximise the number of deportations. Published figures show that FNO returns have increased following the pandemic, in the latest 12-month period (ending December 2023) by 27% when compared to the previous 12-month period. Between January 2019 and December 2023 17,795 FNOs have been removed. The proportion of FNOs held in custody is 12% of the total prison population and has remained stable in recent years while the overall prison population has grown. On 11 March, the Government set out a plan to increase the number of FNOs removed through:The recruitment of 400 additional caseworkers and streamlining the end-to-end removal process;Extending foreign national conditional cautions to FNOs with limited leave to remain; andAmending deportation policy to enable FNOs given suspended sentences of 6 months or more to be considered for deportation. These actions build on our expansion of the Early Removal Scheme to allow for removal of FNOs up to 18 months before the end of the custodial element of their sentence, and expediting prisoner transfers with priority countries such as Albania and seeking to conclude new transfer agreements with partner countries. Foreign National prisoners (xlsx, 17.2KB)

Prisoners: Foreign Nationals

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many foreign nationals are held in the prison estate by nationality.

Edward Argar: Data on how many Foreign National Offenders (FNOs) are held in custody are published in Offender Management Statistics Quarterly: Offender management statistics quarterly: July to September 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). For data on the prison population by nationality, see prison population table 1_7. The latest published data from 31 December 2023 shows that there were 10,423 (3,333 remand, 6,697 sentenced and 393 non-criminal) FNOs held in custody; representing 12% of the total prison population. The most common nationalities after British Nationals in prisons are Albanian (13% of the FNO prison population), Polish (9%), Romanian (7%), Irish (6%) and Jamaican (4%). The removal of FNOs is a Government priority and my department continues to work closely with the Home Office to maximise the number of deportations. Published figures show that FNO returns have increased following the pandemic, in the latest 12-month period (ending December 2023) by 27% when compared to the previous 12-month period. Between January 2019 and December 2023 17,795 FNOs have been removed. The proportion of FNOs held in custody is 12% of the total prison population and has remained stable in recent years while the overall prison population has grown. On 11 March, the Government set out a plan to increase the number of FNOs removed through:The recruitment of 400 additional caseworkers and streamlining the end-to-end removal process;Extending foreign national conditional cautions to FNOs with limited leave to remain; andAmending deportation policy to enable FNOs given suspended sentences of 6 months or more to be considered for deportation.  These actions build on our expansion of the Early Removal Scheme to allow for removal of FNOs up to 18 months before the end of the custodial element of their sentence, and expediting prisoner transfers with priority countries such as Albania and seeking to conclude new transfer agreements with partner countries.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Nature Conservation: Finance

Steve Reed: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, pursuant to the Answer of 18 March 2024 to Question 18175 on Nature Conservation: Finance, what estimate he has made of the total budget that is (a) unspent and (b) unallocated as of 12 April 2024.

David Rutley: Between financial years 2021/22 and 2022/23 the UK spent £763 million on climate change interventions that protect and restore nature and biodiversity leaving £2.2 billion to spend between 2023/24 and 2025/26. This figure will be updated when total spend for the financial year for 2023/24 is finalised later this year. There is currently over £3 billion allocated to nature programming between 2021/22 and 2025/26.

UNRWA: Finance

Tom Hunt: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will make it his policy to continue the suspension of aid funding to UNWRA until evidence is provided that dismisses links between UNWRA and proscribed terror groups.

David Rutley: We are appalled by allegations that UNRWA staff were involved in the 7 October attack against Israel, a heinous act of terrorism that the UK Government has repeatedly condemned. We have paused any future funding of UNRWA.We are aware that the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services and Catherine Colonna have now provided their interim reports to the UN Secretary-General.We want UNRWA to give detailed undertakings about changes in personnel, policy and precedents to ensure this can never happen again.

Iraq: Kurds

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what steps he is taking to help ensure the Federal Government of Iraq uphold the constitutional rights of the Kurdish population.

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what steps his Department is taking to encourage the Federal Government of Iraq to promote inclusion of Kurdish (a) political leaders and (b) Members of Parliament in the (i) Iraqi Council of Representatives in Baghdad and (ii) national political affairs of Iraq.

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what steps he is taking to promote free and fair elections in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what steps his Department is taking to promote democracy in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.

David Rutley: The UK supports a thriving Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) within a peaceful and prosperous Iraq. Through our diplomatic engagements, we continue to encourage cooperation between Baghdad and Erbil to resolve outstanding issues, including around Kurdish representation in Iraqi politics.Elections are essential for the people of the KRI to express their voice and for the future of the region. We are monitoring the situation with long-overdue KRI elections closely and we are seeking a solution that allows free and fair elections to take place as soon as possible.

Hamas and Israel: Sexual Offences

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what recent discussions he has had with his Israeli counterpart on tackling sexual violence in conflict; and if he will make it his policy to call for incidents of sexual violence by (a) Hamas and (b) the Israel Defense Forces to be independently investigated.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK condemns sexual violence unequivocally and without exception. Reports of sexual violence on and since 7th October are deeply disturbing. The UK has consistently called for these reports to be fully investigated to ensure justice for survivors and victims.Through our Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict programmes and dedicated funding totalling £60 million, we are leading work internationally to prevent conflict-related sexual violence and strengthen justice and support for all survivors.

Hamas: UNRWA

Nicola Richards: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will hold discussions with UNRWA on alleged threats made to their senior operations staff by Hamas.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: We are not currently aware of any threats made to senior UNRWA operations staff by Hamas.

Gaza: Humanitarian Aid

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what recent discussions he has had on the provision of security protection for aid convoys in Gaza.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: It is imperative that those doing life-saving work are properly protected. The Foreign Secretary has called on Israel to reform its deconfliction mechanism to ensure the safety of aid workers, and to make progress on the UN's minimal operating requirements, including more visas and driver approvals granted, as well as more trucks permitted to cross into Gaza.

Iraq: Chemical and Biological Warfare

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what steps his Department is taking to support survivors of the Halabja chemical weapons attack living in (a) Halabja and (b) the UK.

David Rutley: On 16 March 2024, the 36th anniversary of the Halabja Chemical Attack, the British Consulate General Erbil visited Halabja and paid their respects at the 1988 Chemical Attack Commemoration.The British Consulate General Erbil participates each year in these important commemorations and the UK remains committed in its support for the peace, stability and prosperity of the people of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.

Iraq: Kurds

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what steps he is taking to promote relations between the Kurdistan Regional Government and the Federal Government of Iraq.

David Rutley: The UK supports a secure, stable, and thriving Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) within a peaceful and prosperous Iraq. We continue to encourage greater cooperation between Baghdad and Erbil to resolve their outstanding issues, such as those related to the federal budget, the oil and gas sector, payment of public salaries, and security cooperation. As intra-Kurdish tensions are impeding progress from being made, Ministers and senior UK officials have advocated repeatedly for unity and increased cooperation within the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), including respect for democratic processes.

Kurds: Foreign Relations

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what steps his department is taking to promote relations between the UK and the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.

David Rutley: The UK supports a secure, stable, and thriving Kurdistan Region in Iraq (KRI) within a peaceful and prosperous Iraq. The UK regularly engages with leaders of the KRI and Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), including through their representations in London. We maintain our diplomatic presence in the KRI through the British Consulate General in Erbil. Through this platform, we cooperate closely on our shared bilateral priorities, such as security and migration issues.The importance of our strategic partnership with the KRI was further reinforced by visits of the Minister of State for the Middle East, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon in March 2023, and Security Minister, Tom Tughendhat in August.

Israel: Casualties

Apsana Begum: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what information his Department holds on the number of Israeli (a) civilians, (b) women and (c) children killed since 7 October 2023.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: Any civilian death is a tragedy. Over 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed in Israel, the vast majority on 7 October 2023 according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA). 253 hostages were also kidnapped and taken into Gaza on 7 October, of whom 124 have been returned to Israel (112 alive and 12 deceased). We continue to call for the immediate release of all remaining hostages.

Gaza: Internally Displaced People

Apsana Begum: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether his Department has made a recent estimate of the number of people who have been displaced in Gaza since 8 October 2023.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: We want to see Israel take greater care to limit its operations to military targets and avoid harming civilians and destroying homes.According to a UN estimate, as of 1 April, up to 1.7 million people (over 75% of the population) had been displaced across the Gaza Strip.As the Prime Minister has told Prime Minister Netanyahu and regional leaders, we are deeply concerned about the prospect of a military offensive in Rafah. Over half of Gaza's population are sheltering in the area, and the Rafah crossing is vital to ensure aid can reach the people who so desperately need it.

Hamas: UNRWA

Sir Michael Ellis: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what information his Department holds on the use of UNRWA push-to-talk networks by Hamas.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK takes allegations of neutrality violations extremely seriously, including any incidents related to UN installations. The FCDO also monitors this closely through our annual assessment of UNRWA. When violations have been identified, UNRWA has taken action, including raising the issue with relevant parties.We are aware that Catherine Colonna has now provided her interim report on UNRWA neutrality to the UN Secretary-General. This independent investigation includes an assessment of the policies and systems UNRWA has in place to ensure neutrality.

UNRWA: Finance

Apsana Begum: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the decision to withdraw funding from UNWRA on the (a) provision and (b) distribution of aid in Gaza.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK provided £35 million to UNRWA in the financial year 2023/24, including an uplift of £16 million for the Gaza humanitarian response, all of which was disbursed before the recent allegations came to light.Our decision to pause future funding to UNRWA has no impact on the UK's contribution to the humanitarian response.We remain committed to getting humanitarian aid to the people in Gaza who desperately need it, including through other UN agencies and British charities.

Hamas: UNRWA

Nicola Richards: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has had recent discussions with the Director of Operations at UNRWA on (a) the precision of air strikes in Gaza and (b) whether Hamas tunnels ran near or underUNRWAschools.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK takes allegations of neutrality violations extremely seriously, including in relation to UN installations such as schools. The FCDO also monitors this closely through our annual assessment of UNRWA. When violations have been identified, UNRWA has taken action, including raising the issue with relevant parties.We are aware that the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services and Catherine Colonna have now provided their interim reports to the UN Secretary-General. Their independent investigations include assessment of the policies and systems UNRWA has in place to ensure neutrality.

Arms Trade: Export Controls

Dan Carden: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will make it his policy to establish an independent review to guarantee that UK arms export policy does not breach obligations under international law.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: All export licence applications are already assessed on a case-by-case basis against the Strategic Export Licensing Criteria.

Gaza: Humanitarian Aid

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will make an estimate of the amount of aid that will enter Gaza before the end of Ramadan, in the context of UN Security Council resolution 2728.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: On 5th April Israel committed to significant steps to increase the amount of aid getting to Gaza, including allowing the delivery of humanitarian aid through the Port of Ashdod and the Erez checkpoint.The UK has urged Israel to take these steps for a long time and they are welcome. We are resolved that the international community will work with Israel to see these vital changes fully implemented.We are doing everything we can to get more aid in as quickly as possible by land, sea and air.

Hamas: Hostage Taking

Apsana Begum: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what information his Department holds on the number of Israeli hostages taken on 7 October 2023; and how many and what proportion (a) have died, (b) have been released and (c) remain in captivity.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The FCDO holds information on the hostages being held in Gaza, which is taken and updated regularly from official Israeli government sources. As of 10 April 2024;• On 7 October, 253 hostages were kidnapped and taken into Gaza.• 124 hostages have been returned to Israel (112 alive and 12 deceased). 129 hostages remain in Gaza. Of these 129 hostages, the Israeli government has stated that it has evidence that 34 are deceased. The remaining 95 hostages are either presumed alive or their status is unknown.

Gaza: Casualties

Apsana Begum: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether his Department has made a recent estimate of the number of (a) civilians, (b) women and (c) children (i) killed and (ii) injured in Gaza using UK-made (A) arms and (B) technologies since October 2023.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: All export licence applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis against the Strategic Export Licensing Criteria. We keep all export licences under careful review.The Foreign Secretary has underlined the need for Israel to ensure effective deconfliction in Gaza, and we want to see Israel take greater care to limit its operations to military targets.

Gaza: Humanitarian Aid

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what recent discussions he has had on opening crossing points into Gaza for medical and humanitarian aid.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The British Government has pressed with Israeli counterparts the urgency of getting significantly more aid into Gaza to alleviate the desperate situation.On 5th April Israel committed to significant steps to increase the amount of aid getting to Gaza, including allowing the delivery of humanitarian aid through the Port of Ashdod and the Erez checkpoint.The UK has urged Israel to take these steps for a long time and they are welcome. We are resolved that the international community will work with Israel to see these vital changes fully implemented.The Foreign Secretary has also called on Israel to reform its deconfliction mechanism to ensure the safety of aid workers, and to make progress on the UN's minimal operating requirements, including more visas and driver approvals granted, as well as more trucks permitted to cross into Gaza.Palestinians are facing a devastating and growing humanitarian crisis. The UK is playing a leadership role in alleviating that suffering. We are doing everything we can to get more aid in as quickly as possible by land, sea and air.150 tonnes of more UK aid arrived in Gaza on 13 March, including 840 family tents, 13,440 blankets, almost 3,000 shelter kits, and shelter-fixing kits, 6,000 sleeping mats and more than 3,000 dignity kits.A field hospital, provided by UK Aid funding to UK-Med, has arrived in Gaza. This facility, staffed by UK and local medics, will be able to treat over 100 patients a day.On 20 March, the Foreign Secretary announced the UK has funded WFP to provide 2000 tons of food aid, enough to feed 275,000 people in Gaza.

West Bank: Terrorism

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of reports of activity by Iran-backed terrorist groups in the West Bank.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: Iran poses an unacceptable threat to Israel, including through its long-term support for proscribed groups such as Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Hamas operating in Gaza and the West Bank. This . Iran must bear responsibility for the actions of its proxies and partners.We introduced a new sanctions regime designed to target Iran and its proxies and partners' hostile and destabilising activity last December. We immediately used these new powers to designate individuals and an entity responsible for Iran's support to Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.The Foreign Secretary condemned in the strongest terms Iran's attack on Israel in a call with the Iranian Foreign Minister on 14 April, and made clear that Iran must stop these attacks and de-escalate.

Argentina: Foreign Relations

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the speech by the President of Argentina of 2 April 2024.

David Rutley: The UK is committed to upholding the Falkland Islanders' right of self-determination. As the Foreign Secretary made clear on his recent visit to the Falkland Islands, as long as the Islanders want to remain part of the UK family, there can be no discussions on sovereignty. The UK looks forward to developing a constructive relationship with Argentina where we can agree to disagree politely on the issue of the Falkland Islands, whilst restarting mutually beneficial co-operation on areas of shared interest.

Attorney General

Attorney General: Written Questions

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney General, when she plans to respond to Questions 6773 and 6774 on Attorney General: Redundancy Pay, tabled by the hon. Member for Islington South and Finsbury on 13 December 2023.

Victoria Prentis: I refer the Rt Hon Member to my substantive response to UIN 6773 and 6774 tabled on 24 January 2024.

Department for Education

Schools: Veterans

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of encouraging veterans to become school governors.

Damian Hinds: The department recognises the valuable skills, experience and perspectives that former military personnel can bring to schools and academy trusts. The department will continue to encourage schools and academy trusts, and the organisations that support them, to look for volunteers with a broad range of backgrounds, so that pupil outcomes can benefit from the best possible governance.

Schools: Veterans

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a veteran awareness day in schools.

Damian Hinds: The department wants all children to leave school with the knowledge, skills, and values that will enable them to understand the world around them and prepare them to be active and responsible citizens in modern Britain. This could include activities focusing on the role of the armed forces and learning from the experiences of veterans.It is important for schools to have flexibility over the design of their curriculum to ensure that it meets the needs of their pupils and the local context. Schools are able to use this flexibility to include a veterans awareness day or to teach about British veterans and the armed forces through subjects within the national curriculum, such as citizenship, history or English literature, or as part of wider remembrance activities.

Nurseries: Finance

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what was the total budget deficit for maintained nursery schools in England in the financial year (a) 2021-22 and b) 2022-23.

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what was the budget deficit for maintained nursery schools in England in the financial year (a) 2021-22 and (b) 2022-23 by local authority.

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what is the projected budget deficit for maintained nursery schools in England in the financial year (a) 2023-24, (b) 2024-25 and (c) 2025-26.

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what is the projected budget deficit for maintained nursery schools in England in the financial year (a) 2023-24, (b) 2024-25 and (c) 2025-26 by local authority.

David Johnston: The data you requested for the 2021/22 financial year can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/la-and-school-expenditure-2021-to-2022-financial-year.The data for the 2022/23 financial year can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/la-and-school-expenditure.This data can be found on GOV.UK in Local Authority and School Expenditure data. In summary: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/09ae561f-1997-46da-4c66-08dc5d297e6b.The latest available data is for the 2022/23 financial year and therefore the department is unable to answer the questions related to 2023/24 and 2024/25.

Schools: Veterans

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing veteran awareness training for teachers.

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of employing veterans in schools to provide courses on leadership and resilience for (a) teachers and (b) students.

Damian Hinds: A key principle behind the government's plan for education is to give teachers and school leaders the freedom to use their professional judgement to do what works best for their pupils. As such, headteachers are ultimately responsible for employment in their schools and the department trusts them to take decisions about the right mix of qualifications, skills and experience that they expect teachers in their schools to have.The department recently reviewed the Initial Teacher Training (ITT) Core Content Framework (CCF) and Early Career Framework (ECF) alongside each other and revised the ITT CCF and the ECF into the combined and updated Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework (ITTECF). This now covers the first three years or more at the start of a teacher’s career, and sets out the entitlement of every trainee and early career teacher (ECT) to the core body of knowledge, skills and behaviours that define great teaching. The ITTECF is universal and designed to work for all teachers, across all phases and subjects.Beyond this, school leaders are responsible for ensuring their workforce has appropriate training to meet the needs of all pupils, which is in line with the department’s position on school autonomy and school leaders being best placed to assess the needs of their pupils and workforce.The government remains committed to supporting veterans with a passion for teaching to enter the profession, both in schools and the further education sector. The department is working with the Ministry of Defence to ensure veterans are aware of the range of programmes and support available through the department’s services and bursaries.Veterans are eligible for a tax-free undergraduate bursary of £40,000 if they are:A veteran who has left full-time employment with the British Army, Royal Air Force or Royal Navy no more than 5 years before the start of the teacher training course.Training to teach secondary biology, chemistry, computing, languages, maths or physics.Doing an undergraduate degree leading to qualified teacher status (QTS) in England.Graduate veterans may also be eligible for a postgraduate scholarship or bursary if they are training to teach priority subjects.More information on how the department support veterans to become teachers, including the offer of one-to-one support from a teacher training advisor, can be found here: https://getintoteaching.education.gov.uk/funding-and-support/if-youre-a-veteran.

Childcare: Finance

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to paragraph 3.15 of the Spring Budget 2024, HC 560, how much and what proportion of the estimated £500 million of additional funding she plans to allocate in the (a) 2025-26 and (b) 2026-27 financial year.

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to paragraph 3.15 of the Spring Budget 2024, HC 560, what weighting was given to (a) average earnings growth, (b) changes in the National Living Wage and (c) the (i) consumer price index and (ii) other measures of inflation when estimating that there would be £500 million of additional funding in the 2025-26 and 2026-27 financial years.

David Johnston: The last economic data available at the time funding rates are set will be used to determine the proportions allocated in the 2025/6 and 2026/7 financial years. The department estimates the changing costs to providers by using the annual results of the Survey of Childcare and Early Years Providers and the department’s cost pressures model, which also takes account of the different ages of children, as both reported staff-child ratios and the relative proportion of entitlement hours delivered by different provider types vary by child age. Separate calculations are therefore performed in respect of the different entitlements.

Teachers: Veterans

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 15 March 2024 to Question 17304 on Teachers: Veterans, how many people applied for the undergraduate veteran teaching bursary in the academic years (a) 2022-23 and (b) 2023-24; and what steps he is taking to increase the number of undergraduate veteran teachers.

Damian Hinds: Initial teacher training (ITT) providers are responsible for the management and administration of bursary payments, including assessment of eligibility. Trainees do not need to apply for a bursary and will automatically receive this from their ITT provider if eligible.The undergraduate veteran teaching bursary is paid over the final two years of the course, with £20,000 payable in each year. In the 2022/23 and 2023/24 academic years, five individual trainees received the undergraduate veteran teaching bursary, three of whom received a bursary in both years. Figures may be subject to change due to ongoing data collection and assurance.The department supports veterans into teaching in primary, secondary, and further education through its broad support services and bursaries. Since the publication of its commitments in the ‘Veterans Strategy Action Plan 2022 to 2024’, the department has tailored support and communications for the veteran community including dedicated teacher training advisers, webpages, case study blogs on the ‘Get Into Teaching’ website and information in Civvy Street publications. More information from Get Into Teaching is available here: https://getintoteaching.education.gov.uk/funding-and-support/if-youre-a-veteran and here: https://getintoteaching.education.gov.uk/blog/from-the-army-to-teacher-training. More information from Civvy Street can be found here: https://civvystreetmagazine.co.uk/2023/05/bring-your-unique-perspective-to-the-classroom-get-into-teaching-2/.Also available are bespoke webinars, and the opportunity to attend regional employer fairs with the Career Transition Partnership (CTP) and British Forces Resettlement Service (BFRS). More information about the CTP can be found here: https://www.ctp.org.uk/job-finding/directory/get-into-teaching. More information about the BFRS can be found here: https://www.bfrss.org.uk/profiles/companies/986419/.

Organs: Donors

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the prevalence of schools (a) educating pupils on organ donation and (b) using resources produced by NHS Blood and Transplant.

Damian Hinds: Schools have flexibility over how they deliver the curriculum and cover important topics within it in a way that works for their context and communities. The department does not have data on how and whether schools are teaching about organ donation, but there are plenty of opportunities within the national curriculum for them to do so.The teaching of blood, tissue and organs is covered in the biology national curriculum to pupils in England between the ages of 11 and 14 in key stage 3. While organ donation is not specifically mentioned in the national curriculum, schools may choose to cover it here.At primary level, schools can talk about organ donation more generally in an age-appropriate way as part of the relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) curriculum, which includes content on physical health and mental wellbeing. The Oak National Academy, an arm's length public body responsible for creating free curriculum resources, has produced a lesson that can be taught to pupils between the ages of 7 and 11 in key stage 2. This includes a section on organs, the transplant waiting list and relevant legislation.Organ donation can be covered in more detail in RSHE for pupils aged 14 to 16 in key stage 4 within the context of healthy lifestyles and the choices that individuals make in adulthood.Departmental officials are working with NHS Blood and Transplant to arrange to signpost schools to education resources on organ donation developed by NHS Blood and Transplant and its charity partners.

Graduates: Visas

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of changes to the graduate visa route on (a) the financial sustainability of the university sector and (b) local economies.

Luke Hall: The Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) has been commissioned to provide further evidence to support the government’s understanding of how the Graduate Route is operating in practice. The focus of the Graduate Route review will be to prevent abuse and ensure the integrity and quality of our world-leading UK higher education (HE) sector is protected. No decisions have been made on the future of the Graduate Route and the department awaits the report of the MAC in May.​​The Office for Students (OfS), as the independent regulator of HE in England, is responsible for monitoring and reporting on the sustainability of HE providers. The department works closely with the OfS to understand the impact of international student recruitment on HE provider financial sustainability.

Adult Education and Community Education: Finance

Zarah Sultana: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the impact of trends in the level of funding of Adult and Community Education since 2010 on that sector; and whether she plans to restore funding to 2010 levels.

Luke Hall: The department is continuing to invest in education and skills training for adults through the Adult Education Budget (AEB), the Multiply programme and Skills Bootcamps.The AEB is worth £1.34 billion in 2023/24 and approximately 60% of the AEB is devolved to nine Mayoral Combined Authorities (MCA) and the Greater London Authority (GLA). These authorities are now responsible for the provision of AEB-funded adult education for their residents. The Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) is responsible for the remaining AEB in non-devolved areas. In ESFA AEB areas, the department applied a 2.2% increase to the final earnings for all AEB formula-funded provision, excluding associated learner and learning support, in 2022/23 and 2023/24. The department also applied a 20% boost on top of earnings for all AEB formula-funded provision in six sector subject areas: Engineering, Manufacturing Technologies, Transport Operations and Maintenance, Building and Construction, ICT for Practitioners, and Mathematics and Statistics. Additionally, in 2024/25, as part of the AEB transition to the Adult Skills Fund, the department will introduce five new funding rates that will apply to the ESFA Adult Skills Fund with 78% of qualifications seeing a funding increase. Prior to devolution, the Community Learning portion of the AEB amounted to approximately £230 million in 2018/19. The department does not collect data on what MCAs and the GLA currently spend on Community Learning. In 2024/25, as part of the Adult Skills Fund, the term Tailored Learning brings together what was the AEB Community Learning, formula-funded AEB non-regulated learning, which was previously delivered through the adult skills, and new employer-facing innovative provision that is not qualification based.  The department is also providing up to £270 million directly to local areas in England to deliver innovative interventions to improve adult numeracy through the Multiply programme. The department is also building the evidence base on what works to improve adult numeracy, including through randomised control trials.  Skills Bootcamps are free, flexible courses of up to 16 weeks, giving people the opportunity to build up sector-specific skills, with an offer of a job interview upon completion. This is supported by £550 million over the current Spending Review period as well as £170 million in grant funding to MCAs and local areas in 2024/25. Spend by the department on further education is reported through publication of the Annual Report and Accounts. This can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/dfe-annual-reports.

Higher Education: Finance

Mary Kelly Foy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the impact of the tuition fee-based funding model on the financial stability of the higher education sector.

Luke Hall: As autonomous organisations, higher education (HE) providers have a high degree of financial independence and it is for them to make appropriate and necessary decisions around income, funding, spending and borrowing which ensure their continued financial viability and sustainability. The department believes that the current fee freeze achieves the best balance between ensuring that the system remains financially sustainable, offering good value for the taxpayer and reducing debt levels for students in real terms. The Office for Students (OfS), as the regulator of HE in England, is responsible for monitoring the financial sustainability of registered HE providers. The department continues to work closely with the OfS and other parties including providers, mission groups and other government departments to understand the ongoing impacts and changing landscape of financial sustainability across the sector.

Home Office

Knives: Sales

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he has made a recent assessment of the effectiveness of the enforcement of regulations on the sale of bladed items (a) to and (b) by persons under the age of 18.

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to help tackle (a) knife crime by and (b) the online sale of bladed weapons to people under the age of 18 in Wales.

Chris Philp: Since 2019, the Home Office has provided over £5 million of funding for a Violence Reduction Unit in Wales (known as the Wales Violence Prevention Unit (VPU)) which is providing a multi-agency, preventative response designed to tackle the drivers of serious violence and knife crime. Over the same period, we have invested c.£3.5 million (including c.£535k in 2023/24) in ‘hotspot policing’ to boost the policing response to serious violence in South Wales. In 24/25, we are providing c.£4.4 million of funding to all force areas in Wales under the Hotspot Response fund to deliver high-visibility patrols and problem-solving tactics in the streets and neighbourhoods worst affected by serious violence and Anti Social Behaviour.The Wales VPU is tasked with investing in evidence-based approaches designed to steer vulnerable young people away from involvement in violence. As part of this approach, the VPU is funding local interventions including A&E Navigators, delivering advice, support and guidance to patients of any age who have experienced violence with injury, with the aim of engaging with those injured whilst they are in hospital to help break the cycle of violence at the point of crisis. The VPU is also funding youth workers to deliver sessions to young people within both education and community settings covering issues such as knife crime. Additionally, just under £1m was awarded in 2023/24 to support delivery of the Serious Violence Duty across Wales.We have also introduced new legislation which, subject to parliamentary approval, will ban zombie-style knives and machetes from 24 September 2024. Through the Criminal Justice Bill 2023, we are providing more powers for police to seize knives held in private that they believe will be used for unlawful violence, increasing the maximum penalty for the offences of selling prohibited weapons and selling knives to under 18s and creating a new offence of possessing an article with blade or point or an offensive weapon with intent to commit unlawful violence.It is an offence to sell bladed articles to people under the age of 18 and with measures in the Offensive Weapons Act 2019 we strengthened the requirements for age verification, and made it an offence to send bladed articles to residential addresses after they are bought online, unless the seller has arrangements in place with the delivery company to ensure that the product would not be delivered into the hands of a person under 18. This legislation is enforced by Trading Standards and the police. The Home Office does not hold enforcement data in relation to breaches of this legislation.The Online Safety Act 2023 has finished its parliamentary passage and received Royal Assent on 26 October 2023. The Government's intention is to have the regime operational as soon as possible.Ofcom published the first draft codes of practice on illegal content for consultation on 9 November 2023. The Government expects these to be finalised in late 2024. These codes of practice will set out the steps companies can take to fulfil the duties for illegal content. In scope services will either need to follow these codes, or show their approach is equally effective. Tech companies will need to remove and limit the spread of illegal content. This means less illegal content online and when it does appear it will be removed quicker.Schedule 7 of the Act sets out a series of priority offences which includes the sale of weapons. Companies will need to take particularly robust action to prevent the proliferation of this content online and ensure that their services are not used for offending. This means companies will need to proactively mitigate the risk that their services are used for illegal activity or to share this illegal content, to design their services to mitigate the risk of this occurring and to remove any content that does appear as soon as they are made aware of it.

Community Security Trust: Finance

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when the terms and conditions of the next round of the Jewish Community Protective Security Grant will be announced; and if he will take steps to ensure that there is no gap in the provision of funding from that grant.

Tom Tugendhat: The safety and security of the Jewish community is of the utmost importance to the Government. In light of the Israel/Hamas conflict and its impact on domestic hate crime, the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement confirmed that protective security funding for the Jewish community will be maintained at £18 million in 2024/25. In February 2024, in response to reports of increased incidents of antisemitism in the UK, the Prime Minister announced that CST will receive the same level of funding each year to 2027/28 (totalling £54 million for 2025-2028).The Community Security Trust will continue to manage the grant on behalf of the Home Office, providing protective security measures (such as guarding, CCTV and alarm systems) at Jewish schools, colleges, nurseries, and other Jewish community sites, as well as a number of synagogues.

Asylum

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if his Department will issue guidance on the exceptional circumstances that would permit an asylum or human rights claim made by a national of a country listed under section 80AA of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 to be declared admissible.

Tom Pursglove: Section 80A(5) of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 and section 6(5) of the Illegal Migration Act 2023 set out some examples of what may constitute exceptional circumstances, relevant to the substantive consideration of asylum claims and to removal under the Illegal Migration Act to s.80AA(1) listed states (respectively). These examples are neither exhaustive nor relevant to all cases, and do not purport to be.Exceptional circumstances are not defined or limited in legislation, but will be considered and applied on a case-by-case basis where it is appropriate.When we commence and implement the wider measures as set out in section 59 of the Illegal Migration Act 2023, we will provide updated guidance to assist caseworkers in their consideration of exceptional circumstances, and the wider provisions.

Deportation: Palestinians

Derek Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether it is his Department’s policy that Palestinian citizens of Israel have a well-founded fear of persecution if returned to Israel.

Tom Pursglove: All asylum and human rights claims are carefully considered on their individual merits in accordance with our international obligations. Each individual assessment is made by considering any relevant extant caselaw and the latest available country of origin information.Our position for different groups is set out in the respective country policy and information note(s), which are published on the gov.uk website.

Migrant Workers: Tourism

Drew Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment his Department has made of the potential economic impact on the tourism industry of delays in the processing of Tier 2 visa licences.

Tom Pursglove: There are currently no delays in the processing of sponsor licence applications.

Visas: Skilled Workers

Drew Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of a regional system for issuing of Tier 2 Skilled Worker visas.

Tom Pursglove: The UK has a single immigration system which works for the whole of the UK. Adding different rules for different locations would introduce further complexity into the system and create frictions where workers move from one location to another.

Offences against Children

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 13 March 2024 to Question 17274 on Offences against Children, on what evidential basis the National Crime Agency has stated that the number of child sex offenders in the UK is between 550,000 and 800,000.

Laura Farris: The National Crime Agency publishes an overview of the Child Sexual Abuse threat annually as part of the National Strategic Assessment. This includes an estimate of the number of UK based adult offenders who pose varying degrees of risk to children. An explanation of the CSA Scale Methodology has been published as an Annex to the National Strategic Assessment.

Refugees: Ukraine

Olivia Blake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that separated displaced Ukrainian families will be able to reunite with their relatives in the UK on the (a) Homes for Ukraine Sponsorship scheme and (b) Ukraine Permission Extension scheme.

Olivia Blake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact on family reunion pathways for separated displaced Ukrainian families of (a) closure of the Ukraine Family Scheme and (b) changes in sponsor eligibility criteria on the Homes for Ukraine Sponsorship scheme.

Tom Pursglove: The UK’s Ukraine schemes are not family reunification pathways. The schemes are designed to provide temporary sanctuary in the UK for Ukrainian’s fleeing the war.The Homes for Ukraine scheme remains open for new applications from those wishing to come to the UK. Ukrainian nationals who would have qualified under the Ukraine Family Scheme will still be able to apply under Homes for Ukraine. Family members wishing to join a relative who is already in the UK may make an application to the Homes for Ukraine scheme provided they have a sponsor who meets the eligibility requirements for sponsorship. Ukrainians may also apply through standard visa or family routes, if they are eligible.From early 2025, the new Ukraine Permission Extension scheme is due to open to those who fled Ukraine because of Russia’s invasion and were granted a Ukraine scheme visa as well as those granted Leave Outside the Rules for the same reason.We keep all of our Ukraine schemes under consistent review in line with developments in the ongoing war.

Offenders: Foreign Nationals

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many foreign national offenders of which nationality were deported in each of the last five years.

Michael Tomlinson: The Home Office does publish statistics on the returns of foreign national offenders by nationality and year. These returns are published in the Returns Detailed Datasets, Year Ending December 2023; which are available at: Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).The term ‘deportations’ refers to a legally defined subset of returns, which are enforced either following a criminal conviction, or when it is judged that a person’s removal from the UK is beneficial to the public good. The published statistics refer to enforced returns which include deportations, as well as cases where a person has breached UK immigration laws, and those removed under other administrative and illegal entry powers that have declined to leave voluntarily. Figures on deportations, which are a subset of enforced returns, are not separately available.

Prisoners: Foreign Nationals

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many foreign nationals held in the prison estate have previously been deported.

Michael Tomlinson: The information requested is not available from published statistics.Our Nationality and Borders Act became law in April 2022. A factsheet can be viewed here: Nationality and Borders Bill: factsheet - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).The same act also amended legislation which means a foreign offender who returns to the United Kingdom in breach of a deportation order can be sentenced to five years’ imprisonment. Anyone who enters the UK without leave, or without a visa, also faces a maximum penalty of four years.

Fire Brigades Union

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether his Department has had discussions with representatives of the Fire Brigades Union on the Firefighters’ Manifesto published on 1 November 2023.

Chris Philp: The Home Office has not met with the FBU regarding the specific document, but continues to work with our partners, including all fire unions, to push for meaningful change for the benefit of both the sector and the public.Minister Chris Philp has had a number of meetings with Matt Wrack and the Department meets the FBU regularly to discuss issues of mutual interest and concern.The Government is committed to reform in the fire sector and published the response to the Fire Reform White Paper on 12 December setting out plans.

East London Mosque: Security

Apsana Begum: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether his Department is taking steps to ensure the safety and security of East London Mosque.

Tom Tugendhat: This Government is committed to protecting the right of individuals to freely practise their religion at their chosen place of worship, and to making our streets and communities safer.The rise in anti-Muslim hatred across the country since last year has been a cause for concern, and subsequently, the Home Office is providing up to £50.9 million in 2023/24 to protect faith communities. This includes £29.4 million through the new Protective Security for Mosques Scheme, and the Government has confirmed that this level of funding will now be maintained annually through to 2027/28.Mosques and Muslim faith community centres can register for protective security measures through the Home Office’s Protective Security for Mosques Scheme on GOV.UK. The scheme provides physical protective security measures, such as CCTV, intruder alarms and secure perimeter fencing. Due diligence checks are carried out by the Home Office; for example, to confirm that applicants are eligible registered charities. Following approval, applicants receive a site survey to assess the most suitable security measures for their site, which are funded by the Home Office and installed by the Department’s delivery partner.We do not provide information about the funding on specific sites

National Crime Agency: Pay

Dame Margaret Hodge: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the median salary for an officer of the National Crime Agency was in the 2023-24 financial year.

Tom Tugendhat: The median salary for an officer of the NCA as of March 2024 is £41,347.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

High Streets Heritage Action Zones Fund

Damian Collins: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what the value of grants awarded through the Heritage High Street Fund was in (a) the UK and (b) Kent since 2010.

Julia Lopez: The Government-funded High Streets Heritage Action Zones programme ran from 2019-2024, operating in England only. It was administered by Historic England. Since 2019, there have been £90,948,829 in grants awarded through the fund.The programme has funded the transformation and restoration of over 60 high streets, creating economic growth and improving quality of life in these areas.Two grants were awarded in Kent, in Ramsgate and Chatham. In total, the two schemes were awarded £2,241,797 over the course of the programme.The High Streets Heritage Action Zone programme came to an end in March 2024.

British Ju Jitsu Association

Naz Shah: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions she has had with Sport England on the derecognition of the British Ju Jitsu Association.

Naz Shah: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions she has had with Sports England on the British Ju Jitsu Association's (a) equality, (b) inclusion and (c) diversity policies.

Stuart Andrew: Following the outcome of a review of its recognised NGB status last summer, the British Ju Jitsu Association Governing Body (BJJAGB) submitted evidence to Sport England relating to its compliance with the Home Country Sports Council's recognition criteria.It is now for the Home Country Sports Council Boards to decide on the recognition of the organisation. This information will be communicated in the near future.

Voluntary Work: Young People

Damian Collins: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many people have participated in a National Citizen Service programme since 2010.

Stuart Andrew: Over 800,000 young people participated in an NCS programme between 2010/11 and 2022/23. The NCS programme is due to deliver 261,000 experiences between 2023/24 and 2024/25, as per the 2023/24 Annual Business Plan. The number of experiences delivered in the year 2023/24 will be published in the Annual Report later this year.

Sports: Facilities

Damian Collins: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what the (a) number and (b) value of grants made through the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme is since 2010.

Stuart Andrew: The Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme is investing over £325 million between 2021 and 2025 to level up facilities across the whole of the UK. The programme provides funding to make essential facility improvements, so that communities have a high-quality pitch to play on, and is a clear demonstration of the government’s commitment to levelling up all corners of the United Kingdom.Since 2021, over £200 million has been invested in over 2,400 sites across the UK, improving the natural and artificial grass pitches on offer to communities and upgrading floodlights, goalposts, changing rooms and toilet facilities. All funded projects are listed on gov.uk at this link:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/multi-sport-grassroots-facilities-programme-projects-2021-to-2025Grants that were awarded in England prior to 2021 were delivered by the Football Foundation, funded through Sport England. Sport England’s funding to the Football Foundation is available on their website, along with all awards made by Sport England to football clubs since 2009: https://www.sportengland.org/Sport is devolved - grants made in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland prior to the Multi-Sports Grassroots Facilities Programme are a matter for the Devolved Administrations.

Members: Correspondence

Sir Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when she plans to reply to the correspondence of 13 March 2024 from the hon. Member for Rhondda on correcting the record on Creative Tax Reliefs.

Julia Lopez: The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport will respond to this correspondence as soon as possible.

Ministry of Defence

Defence Equipment & Support: Expenditure

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department has spent on (a) fires, (b) infrastructure and (c) manoeuvre support in the Land Equipment directorate at Defence Equipment and Support in each financial year since 2019-20.

James Cartlidge: The Fires, Infrastructure, and Manoeuvre Support (FIMS) delivery team total spend on equipment and support by financial year is as follows:  Financial YearContract Spend  £million2019-2024.822020-2156.662021-2264.112022-23390.42 The FIMS delivery team total spend on operating costs by financial year is as follows: Financial yearTotal spend £million2019-208.102020-212.202021-228.262022-2317.86 FIMS is a specific project team in DE&S and the figures above represent the total spend of that team. The figures do not represent the total spend on all fires, infrastructure and support across the Department which would not be held centrally and would not be answerable without a disproportionate cost. The substantial increase in costs in FY2022-23 is due to the Operational Infrastructure team being merged into the FIMS team in April 2022.

Defence: Artificial Intelligence

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he plans to publish the Defence AI Skills Framework.

James Cartlidge: The development of a Defence AI Skills Framework is underway, and we expect work to accelerate following the recruitment of our Capability Lead for AI Talent and Skills. We are working closely with Digital Skills for Defence (DS4D) and other key stakeholders to ensure coherence with other complimentary skills frameworks within the department, but also across government and with allies.

Defence: Artificial Intelligence

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Defence Artificial Intelligence Strategy, published on 15 June 2022, whether his Department has appointed a Head of AI Profession.

James Cartlidge: The Defence AI Centre (DAIC) is currently onboarding a Capability Lead, AI Talent and Skills. They are expected to be in post in quarter 2 of this financial year.This individual will work with colleagues across Government to advance the AI skills agenda while also exploring novel ways to attract talent into the department.

HMS Albion: Regeneration

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his Department's planned timetable is for the potential regeneration of HMS Albion.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with Babcock on the tying up of HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his Department's planned timetable is for HMS Bulwark's (a) regeneration and (b) return to fleet.

James Cartlidge: For reasons of operational security, we do not disclose timetables of future readiness levels for Royal Navy (RN) vessels. However, I can confirm that, as has been the case since 2010, one Landing Platform Dock (LPD) ship will be held in extended readiness so that she will be capable of being regenerated if we have strategic notice that she will be needed. As such, HMS Albion will take HMS Bulwark's place in extended readiness and HMS Bulwark will be regenerated from extended readiness and maintained so that she can be ready to deliver defence outputs if required. All discussions with Babcock International Group Plc on the LPD programme of work have related to the delivery of the original contract.

Afghanistan: Refugees

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 21 March 2024 to Question 19061 on Afghanistan, how many ARAP scheme applications have been reassessed as of 12 April 2024.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The reassessment of applications from those with credible links to former Afghan specialist units is well under way and is being conducted by staff independent of those who previously worked on these applications. The first reassessment occurred on March 26, and we aim to complete reassessing the majority of the approximately 2,000 cases in scope of the review within around 12 weeks. Some complex cases might extend beyond this as we ensure all evidence is considered. I will update the House once the review is completed, but my immediate priority is processing the cases as swiftly and diligently as possible and ensuring that the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy scheme criteria is consistently applied to all applications being reassessed.

Department for Transport

Railway Stations: Access

Helen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to announce which Access for All programmes will be funded during Control Period 7.

Huw Merriman: As part of our recent Network North announcement, the Government confirmed £350m will be made available to improve the accessibility of our train stations. We are assessing over 300 nominations for Access for All funding. At stations awarded funding this will create an obstacle free, accessible route from the station entrance to platforms. Successful nominations will be announced in due course.

High Speed 2 Line: Compensation

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to expedite compensation for people required to move home for the construction of HS2.

Huw Merriman: In all cases, HS2 Ltd seeks to provide compensation in as timely a manner as possible. And the focus of the Department for Transport has always been on devising policies to ensure that transactions are progressed promptly. For instance, the streamlined residential blight (SRB) scheme was introduced to provide a quicker route for property owners to sell their home as the process does not require negotiation on the property value and disturbance items. This goes beyond what is mandated in law (through the Compensation Code).

Driving Tests: Waiting Lists

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Answer of 6 March 2024 to 16465 on Driving Tests: Waiting Lists, what the average waiting time for DVSA driving tests was across Great Britain as of 6 March 2024.

Guy Opperman: The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s main priority is to reduce car practical driving test waiting times, whilst upholding road safety standards. As of 8 April 2024, there were 510,385 car practical driving tests booked, and 119,545 driving tests available within the 24-week booking window. The average waiting time for a car practical driving test in Great Britain, in March 2024, was 17.1 weeks.

Bicycles: Lighting

Derek Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the (a) safety of the use of bright LEDs on cycles and (b) adequacy of standards regulation on those lights.

Guy Opperman: Requirements for the fitment and use of bicycle lamps are set out in the Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations 1989 as amended.Enforcement of road traffic law is generally an operational matter for individual Police Forces.

Parking: Pedestrian Areas

Simon Lightwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 7 March 2024 to Question 16992 on Parking: Pedestrian Areas, if his Department will publish its response to that consultation before the end of this Parliament.

Guy Opperman: Pavement Parking is a complex issue. The Department is considering the consultation findings in order to reach the best outcome for all road users. We want to take the right step for communities and ensure that local authorities have appropriate and effective tools at their disposal and will make an announcement in due course.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

Business Premises: Energy Performance Certificates

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, when she plans to respond to the consultation entitled Non-domestic Private Rented Sector minimum energy efficiency standards: EPC B implementation, published on 17 March 2021.

Amanda Solloway: We have reviewed the responses to our consultation on minimum energy efficiency standards in the non-domestic private rented sector. We are working hard to ensure the policy design remains fair and proportionate for landlords and tenants within the current economic climate and to help realise the benefits of energy efficiency, including reduced energy bills, more comfortable and healthier workplaces and greater energy security. We are continuing to engage with commercial building owners and representative groups to understand the different pathways to support decarbonisation and give certainty to the energy efficiency supply chain. We plan to publish the response in due course.

Business Premises: Carbon Emissions

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, when she plans to publish a response to the consultation on Introducing a performance-based policy framework in large commercial and industrial buildings, which closed on 9 June 2021.

Amanda Solloway: Government paused the rollout of the operational energy rating pilot scheme but remains interested in exploring the role that operational ratings can play in supporting energy reduction within the wider landscape for decarbonising commercial and industrial buildings. We continue to engage with stakeholders to understand more about potential options for moving the dial on reducing carbon emissions and Government’s role in this.

Heat Pumps

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether she is taking steps to equalize the price of electricity with gas to encourage people to install Heat Pumps in their homes.

Amanda Solloway: In ‘Powering Up Britain’, the Government committed to outlining a clear approach to gas and electricity price rebalancing – and will do so in due course. We are working to develop our approach to rebalancing to meet these commitments. No decisions have yet been taken on our approach, and fairness and affordability for consumers and taxpayers will be at the heart of our decision-making.

Fuel Oil and Liquefied Petroleum Gas: Prices

Derek Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps she is taking to address the loyalty penalty paid by households reliant on (a) heating oil and (b) LPG; and whether she has asked the Competition and Markets Authority to make an assessment of the adequacy of competition in markets for these products.

Amanda Solloway: We believe consumer choice provides the best long-term guarantee of competitive prices. The structure of the heating oil market allows for switching of suppliers on a delivery-by-delivery basis. There are commercial price comparison sites and the trade association UKIFDA provides a ‘Find a distributor’ facility at https://ukifda.org/find-a-distributor/. There is similar consumer choice for bottled LPG users, supported by the trade association LGUK ‘Supplier search’ facility (https://www.liquidgasuk.org/domestic/supplier-search). The bulk domestic LPG market is subject to regulation under the Competition and Markets Authority’s LPG Orders (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/liquefied-petroleum-gas-lpg-market-orders-and-calculator) to enable easier switching of domestic bulk LPG supplier by domestic customers and the CMA continues to monitor that market.

Oil: Pollution

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to paragraph 22 of the fifth Special Report of the Energy and Climate Change Committee of Session 2010-11 entitled UK Deepwater Drilling: Implications of the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill: Government Response to the Committee's Second Report of Session 2010–11, HC 882, published on 22 March 2011, what recent progress the Government has made on ensuring that oil spill response equipment is designed to take full account of the harsh environment in the West of Shetland.

Justin Tomlinson: The response to pollution incidents from offshore hydrocarbon operations is led by Industry and their primary response contractor Oil Spill Response Limited (OSRL). Since the report was published, the Oil Spill Prevention and Response Advisory Group (OSPRAG) cap was developed and been in service since 2011. OSRL have also developed additional higher rated capping devices which have been in service since 2013. OSRL have also extended their response capability to include a base in the Shetland Islands to respond promptly to incidents West of Shetland. This base contains response equipment which has been specially selected for West of Shetland conditions.

Oil: Belgium

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether her Department has made an estimate her Department of the potential (a) quantity of and (b) proportion of the total UK oil supplies that will come from Ineos development in Antwerp.

Andrew Bowie: The Department has not assessed potential supply from the development in Antwerp. Import countries of origin are published monthly in Energy Trends Table 3.14: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/oil-and-oil-products-section-3-energy-trends. The Department does not collect data on facility of origin.

Electricity Generation and  Electricity Interconnectors: Costs

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether she has made an estimate of the average transmission network costs for (a) inter connectors and (b) domestic generators of electricity in the last 12 months.

Justin Tomlinson: The Electricity System Operator has published its “Final Transmission Network Use of System (TNUoS) Tariffs for 2023/24” document, which details that interconnectors are exempt from transmission charges, and the average transmission network tariff for generators is £12.45/kW.

Electricity Interconnectors

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what her Department's policy is on the future capacity of new electricity interconnectors in (a) 2025, (b) 2030 and (c) 2040.

Justin Tomlinson: As of March 2024, Great Britain has 9.8GW interconnection capacity in operation. A further 1.9 GW of interconnection is in construction, with 0.5GW expected to be operational by 2025. Anticipated interconnection capacity by 2025 is therefore approximately 10.3GW. In 2020, the Government set an ambition to realise at least 18GW of interconnection by 2030; this was reaffirmed in 2023. Two additional interconnectors, totalling 3.2GW, have recently received positive interim regulatory decisions from Ofgem. If progressed, Great Britain will be on track for 13.1GW of interconnection capacity by 2030, and 14.9GW by 2031. The Government will provide more information on interconnection post-2030 in due course.

Electricity Interconnectors

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, which electricity interconnector projects (a) have received approval and (b) are awaiting approval; and what the megawatt capacity is of each proposed project.

Justin Tomlinson: Ofgem is responsible for awarding regulatory approval to electricity interconnector projects in Great Britain. There are two main routes to regulatory approval, through the awarding of a cap and floor regime, or a merchant route. Including both routes, Ofgem has given approval to the following projects:IFA 2000MW (GB - France)Moyle 500MW (GB - Northern Ireland)BritNed 1000MW (GB - Netherlands)East-West 500MW (GB - Republic of Ireland)Nemo Link 1000MW (GB - Belgium)IFA2 1000MW (GB - France)North Sea Link (NSL) 1400MW (GB - Norway)ElecLink 1000MW (GB-France)Viking Link 1400MW (GB - Denmark)Greenlink 500MW (GB - Republic of Ireland)GridLink 1250MW (GB - France)FAB 1250MW (GB - France)NeuConnect 1400MW (GB-Germany) Ofgem is assessing a selection of projects that applied for regulatory approval through the third cap and floor application window. These results are interim and are being consulted upon. The final decision will be made in summer 2024 by Ofgem. The projects that are awaiting final regulatory decisions are:Aminth 1400MW (GB - Denmark)Cronos 1400MW (GB - Belgium)NU-Link 1200MW (GB - the Netherlands)LirIC 700MW (GB - Northern Ireland)MaresConnect 750MW (GB-Republic of Ireland)Aquind 2000MW (GB - France)Nautilus 1400MW (GB - Belgium)Tarchon 1400MW (GB - Germany)Lion Link 1800MW (GB-the Netherlands)

Electricity Interconnectors

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many electricity interconnectors are operational; and what the megawatt capacity is per interconnector.

Justin Tomlinson: Great Britain currently has nine operational interconnectors, listed alongside their deployed capacity:IFA 2000MW (GB - France)Moyle 500MW (GB - Northern Ireland)BritNed 1000MW (GB - Netherlands)East-West 500MW (GB - Republic of Ireland)Nemo Link 1000MW (GB - Belgium)IFA2 1000MW (GB - France)North Sea Link 1400MW (GB - Norway)ElecLink 1000MW (GB - France)Viking Link 1400MW (GB - Denmark)

Electricity Generation

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many gigawatt hours of electricity was produced domestically in the last 12 months.

Justin Tomlinson: Figures for UK electricity generation are published in Energy Trends table 5.1, available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/electricity-section-5-energy-trends. Provisionally, in 2023, UK generators produced 285,606 GWh of electricity.

Offshore Industry: Employment

Claire Hanna: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many people are employed in the gas and oil industry; and what methodology her Department uses to calculate this statistic.

Justin Tomlinson: The Department uses widely recognised industry estimates provided by Offshore Energies UK (OEUK). According to OEUK’s 2022 workforce estimates (https://oeuk.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/OEUK-Workforce-Insight-2022.pdf), oil and gas companies support around 200,000 jobs across the supply chain and wider local economy. This includes 30,000 people who are employed directly by the sector. Information on the methodology used by OEUK to estimate workforce numbers was provided in the answer given to the hon. Member for Brighton Pavilion on 25 March 2024 to Question UIN 18876.

Leader of the House

Legislation: Reviews

Lucy Powell: To ask the Leader of the House, with reference to the Guide to Making Legislation, which Acts that received royal assent since 2010 have been subject to post-legislative review; and which Acts are being reviewed.

Penny Mordaunt: This information is not held centrally. Post-legislative scrutiny memoranda have been published on GOV.UK where bills have undergone the process. While all bills that have reached Royal Assent are eligible for post-legislative scrutiny after they are enacted, it can be agreed between the department and the relevant Commons departmental select committee that a memorandum is not required.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

High Rise Flats: Safety

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what guidance his Department has issued on a building’s status as a relevant building under section 117(3)(c) of the Building Safety Act 2022 in the event that a freeholder purchased a leasehold property in a building after 14 February 2022.

Lee Rowley: We are aware of the specific concerns raised by the Hon Member, and the specific case in his constituency. As the Member will know, Departmental Officials are due to meet him and his constituents to discuss the issue in more detail.

Park Homes: Sales

Derek Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will publish a response to the report commissioned by his Department entitled The impact of a change in the maximum park home sale commission, published in June 2022.

Lee Rowley: In September 2023 the department published a discussion document which sought the views of the park homes sector on the 2022 report’s recommendations. The Government is considering the response to that discussion document and we will announce next steps shortly.

High Rise Flats: Fire Prevention

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he has made an estimate of the number and proportion of buildings subject to developer self-remediation contracts where (a) building assessments and (b) remediation works have been delayed due to there being no access.

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what his planned timetable is for when all buildings subject to a developer self-remediation contract will have had remediation work completed.

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to clauses 5.2 and 6.1 of the draft developer remediation contract published by his Department on 30 January 2023, what criteria his Department is using to assess whether developers are undertaking (a) building assessments and (b) remediation works as soon as reasonably practicable.

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he has made an estimate of the number and proportion of developers that have (a) signed a self-remediation contract and (b) established a direct communication channel with leaseholders and residents.

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether defective fire doors are included as a defect under the terms of the developer self-remediation contract.

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps he is taking to help ensure participant developers in the self-remediation scheme do not commission FRAEW assessments when a previous assessment has already been undertaken.

Lee Rowley: The department publishes data on the developer contract quarterly and the next update is 20 June 2024, and will announce any additional actions or information at the same time.

Private Rented Housing: Nottingham East

Nadia Whittome: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he is taking steps to reduce private sector rents in Nottingham East constituency.

Jacob Young: The Government recognises the cost of living pressures that tenants are facing, and that paying rent is likely to be a tenant’s biggest monthly expense. The level of private sector rents is not directly a matter for Government, however, we are taking steps to increase housebuilding to help create a more sustainable and affordable housing market over the long term. The Government is on track to meet its manifesto commitment to deliver a million homes over this Parliament.The Government also welcomes new institutional investment in the private rented sector. The Build to Rent sector has built over 100,000 new homes over the past 13 years and they continue to play a part in increasing the supply of homes in the private rented sector.

Department for Work and Pensions

Health and Safety: Mental Health

Abena Oppong-Asare: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many improvement and prohibition notices the Health and Safety Executive has issued on (a) workplace stress and (b) other mental health problems at work in each year since it took responsibility for this area.

Paul Maynard: There are no specific regulations relating to work-related stress or mental health and any enforcement action taken by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in those areas would use general health and safety legislation such as the Health and Safety at Work Act or the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations. As a result, HSE can not provide the numbers of notices as the information is not held in the format requested so is not easily retrievable or statistically robust.

Social Security Benefits: Fraud

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department plans to recruit Covert Surveillance Officers to gather evidence to prove or disprove offences relating to benefits claims.

Paul Maynard: DWP is recruiting Covert Surveillance Officers. The Department’s Counter Fraud, Compliance & Debt directorate (CFCD) undertakes directed surveillance as part of the criminal investigation process. All surveillance activity is applied for under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA) 2000 and is conducted in line with the surveillance Code of Practice. It is undertaken only where necessary and proportionate to the alleged offence.

Universal Credit

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many alternative payment requests for Universal Credit were made in (a) January and (b) February 2024 in (i) England, (ii) Scotland and (iii) Wales.

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many alternative payment arrangements for Universal Credit were granted in (a) January and (b) February 2024 in (i) England, (ii) Scotland and (iii) Wales.

Jo Churchill: The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Wales Office

First Minister of Wales

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what plans he has to meet the First Minister of Wales.

David T C Davies: I met with the First Minister on Wednesday 27 March 2024 and congratulated him on his appointment.